MONTE 
CARLO 

E.PHILLIPS 
OPPENHEIM 


ma 


E  X    L  I  R  R  I  S 


MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 


Mr.  GREX 
OF  MONTE  CARLO 

By  E.  PHILLIPS  OPPENHEIM 


AUTHOR  OF 

"The  Vanished  Messenger,"     "A  People's  Man,** 
"The  Mischief  Maker,"  Etc. 


A.  L.  BURT  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 

PUBLISHED  BY  ARRANGEMENT  WITH  LITTLK,  BROWN  &  COMPANY 


Copyright,  1916, 
LITTLE,  BEOWN,  AND 

AU  rights  reterstd 


SRLF 
.URL 


MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

CHAPTER  I 

AN    UNEXPECTED    MEETING 

The  eyes  of  the  man  who  had  looked  in  upon 
a  scene  inordinately,  fantastically  brilliant,  under- 
went, after  those  first  few  moments  of  comparative 
indifference,  a  curious  transformation.  He  was  con- 
templating one  of  the  sights  of  the  world.  Crowded 
around  the  two  roulette  tables,  promenading  or 
lounging  on  the  heavily  cushioned  divans  against  the 
wall,  he  took  note  of  a  conglomeration  of  people 
representing,  perhaps,  every  grade  of  society,  every 
nationality  of  importance,  yet  with  a  curious  com- 
mon likeness  by  reason  of  their  tribute  paid  to 
fashion.  He  glanced  unmoved  at  a  beautiful  Eng- 
lishwoman who  was  a  duchess  but  looked  otherwise; 
at  an  equally  beautiful  Frenchwoman,  who  looked 
like  a  duchess  but  was  —  otherwise.  On  every  side 
of  him  were  women  gowned  by  the  great  artists  of 
the  day,  women  like  flowers,  all  perfume  and  soft- 
ness and  colour.  His  eyes  passed  them  over  almost 
carelessly.  A  little  tired  with  many  weeks'  travel 
in  countries  where  the  luxuries  of  life  were  few,  his 
senses  were  dulled  to  the  magnificence  of  the  scene, 
his  pulses  as  yet  had  not  responded  to  its  charm 


2  MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

and  wonder.  And  then  the  change  came.  He  sa.v 
a  woman  standing  almost  exactly  opposite  to  him 
at  the  nearest  roulette  table,  and  he  gave  a  notice- 
able start.  For  a  moment  his  pale,  expressionless 
face  was  transformed,  his  secret  was  at  any  one's 
mercy.  That,  however,  was  the  affair  of  an  instant 
only.  He  was  used  to  shocks  and  he  survived  this 
one.  He  moved  a  little  on  one  side  from  his  promi- 
nent place  in  the  centre  of  the  wide-flung  doorway. 
He  stood  by  one  of  the  divans  and  watched. 

She  was  tall  and  fair  and  slight.  She  wore  a 
high-necked  gown  of  shimmering  grey,  a  black  hat, 
under  which  her  many  coils  of  hair  shone  like  gold, 
and  a  necklace  of  pearls  around  her  throat,  pearls 
on  which  his  eyes  had  rested  with  a  curious  expres- 
sion. She  played,  unlike  many  of  her  neighbours, 
with  restraint,  yet  with  interest,  almost  enthusiasm. 
There  was  none  of  the  strain  of  the  gambler  about 
her  smooth,  beautiful  face.  Her  delicately  curved 
lips  were  free  from  the  grim  lines  of  concentrated 
acquisitiveness.  She  was  thirty-two  years  old  but 
she  looked  much  younger  as  she  stood  there,  her  lips 
a  little  parted  in  a  pleased  smile  of  anticipation. 
She  was  leaning  a  little  over  the  table  and  her  eyes 
were  fixed  with  humorous  intentness  upon  the  spin- 
ning wheel.  Even  amongst  that  crowd  of  beautiful 
women  she  possessed  a  certain  individual  distinction. 
She  not  only  looked  what  she  was  —  an  English- 
woman of  good  birth  —  but  there  was  a  certain  deli- 
cate aloofness  about  her  expression  and  bearing 
which  gave  an  added  charm  to  a  personality  which 
seemed  to  combine  the  two  extremes  of  provocative- 
Bess  and  reserve.  One  would  have  hesitated  to  ad- 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  3 

dress  to  her  even  the  chance  remarks  which  pass  so 
easily  between  strangers  around  the  tables. 

"  Violet  here ! "  the  man  murmured  under  his 
breath.  "  Violet !  " 

There  was  tragedy  in  the  whisper,  a  gleam  of 
something  like  tragedy,  too,  in  the  look  which  passed 
between  the  man  and  the  woman  a  few  moments  later. 
With  her  hands  full  of  plaques  which  she  had  just 
won,  she  raised  her  eyes  at  last  from  the  board.  The 
smile  upon  her  lips  was  the  delighted  smile  of  a  girl. 
And  then,  as  she  was  in  the  act  of  sweeping  her 
winnings  into  her  gold  bag,  she  saw  the  man  opposite. 
The  smile  seemed  to  die  from  her  lips;  it  appeared, 
indeed,  to  pass  with  all  else  of  expression  from  her 
face.  The  plaques  dropped  one  by  one  through  her 
fingers,  into  the  satchel.  Her  eyes  remained  fixed 
upon  him  as  though  she  were  looking  upon  a  ghost. 
The  seconds  seemed  drawn  out  into  a  grim  hiatus 
of  time.  The  croupier's  voice,  the  muttered  im- 
precation of  a  loser  by  her  side,  the  necessity  of 
making  some  slight  movement  in  order  to  allow  the 
passage  of  an  arm  from  some  one  in  search  of  change 
—  some  such  trifle  at  last  brought  her  back  from  the 
shadows.  Her  expression  became  at  once  more  nor- 
mal. She  did  not  remove  her  eyes  but  she  very 
slightly  inclined  her  head  towards  the  man.  He,  in 
return,  bowed  very  gravely  and  without  a  smile. 

The  table  in  front  of  her  was  cleared  now. 
People  were  beginning  to  consider  their  next  coup. 
The  voice  of  the  croupier,  with  his  parrot-like  cry, 
travelled  down  the  board. 

u  Faites  vos  jeux,  mesdames  et  messieurs." 

The  woman  made  no   effort  to   stake.     After  a 


4  MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

moment's  hesitation  she  yielded  up  her  place,  and 
moving  backwards,  seated  herself  upon  an  empty 
divan.  Rapidly  the  thoughts  began  to  form  them- 
selves in  her  mind.  Her  delicate  eyebrows  drew 
closer  together  in  a  distinct  frown.  After  that  first 
shock,  that  queer  turmoil  of  feeling,  beyond  analysis, 
yet  having  within  it  some  entirely  unexpected  con- 
stituent, she  found  herself  disposed  to  be  angry. 
The  sensation  had  not  subsided  when  a  moment  or 
two  later  she  was  conscious  that  the  man  whose  com- 
ing had  proved  so  disturbing  was  standing  before  her. 

"  Good  afternoon,"  he  said,  a  little  stiffly. 

She  raised  her  eyes.  The  frown  was  still  upon 
her  forehead,  although  to  a  certain  extent  it  was 
contradicted  by  a  slight  tremulousness  of  the  lips. 

"  Good  afternoon,  Henry !  " 

For  some  reason  or  other,  further  speech  seemed 
to  him  a  difficult  matter.  He  moved  towards  the 
vacant  place. 

"  If  you  have  no  objection,"  he  observed,  as  he 
seated  himself. 

She  unfurled  her  fan  —  an  ancient  but  wonderful 
weapon  of  defence.  It  gave  her  a  brief  respite. 
Then  she  looked  at  him  calmly. 

"  Of  all  places  in  the  world,"  she  murmured,  "  to 
meet  you  here !  " 

"  Is  it  so  extraordinary  ?  " 

"  I  find  it  so,"  she  admitted.  "  You  don't  at  all 
fit  in,  you  know.  A  scene  like  this,"  she  added, 
glancing  around,  "  would  scarcely  ever  be  likely  to 
attract  you  for  its  own  sake,  would  it  ?  " 

"  It  doesn't  particularly,"  he  admitted. 

"  Then  why  have  you  come?  " 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  5 

He  remained  silent.  The  frown  upon  her  forehead 
deepened. 

"  Perhaps,"  she  went  on  coldly,  "  I  can  help  yoa 
with  your  reply.  You  have  come  because  you  are 
not  satisfied  with  the  reports  of  the  private  detec- 
tive whom  you  have  engaged  to  watch  me.  You  have 
come  to  supplement  them  by  your  own  investiga- 
tion." 

His  frown  matched  hers.  The  coldness  of  his 
tone  was  rendered  even  more  bitter  by  its  note  of 
anger. 

"  I  am  surprised  that  you  should  have  thought 
me  capable  of  such  an  action,"  he  declared.  "  All  I 
can  say  is  that  it  is  thoroughly  in  keeping  with  your 
other  suspicions  of  me,  and  that  I  find  it  absolutely 
unworthy." 

She  laughed  a  little  incredulously,  not  altogether 
naturally. 

"  My  dear  Henry,"  she  protested,  "  I  cannot 
flatter  myself  that  there  is  any  other  person  in  the 
world  sufficiently  interested  in  my  movements  to 
have  me  watched." 

"  Are  you  really  under  the  impression  that  that  is 
the  case?  "  he  enquired  grimly. 

"  It  isn't  a  matter  of  impression  at  all,"  she  re- 
torted. "  It  is  the  truth.  I  was  followed  from 
London,  I  was  watched  at  Cannes,  I  am  watched  here 
day  by  day  —  by  a  little  man  in  a  brown  suit  and 
a  Homburg  hat,  and  with  a  habit  of  lounging.  He 
lounges  under  my  windows,  he  is  probably  lounging 
across  the  way  now.  He  has  lounged  within  fifty 
yards  of  me  for  the  last  three  weeks,  and  to  tell  you 
the  truth  I  am  tired  of  him.  Couldn't  I  have  a 


6  MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

week's  holiday?  I'll  keep  a  diary  and  tell  you  all 
that  you  want  to  know." 

"  Is  it  sufficient,"  he  asked,  "  for  me  to  assure  you, 
upon  my  word  of  honour,  that  I  know  nothing  of 
this?" 

She  was  somewhat  startled.  She  turned  and 
looked  at  him.  His  tone  was  convincing.  He  had 
not  the  face  of  a  man  whose  word  of  honour  was  a 
negligible  thing. 

"  But,  Henry,"  she  protested,  "  I  tell  you  that 
there  is  no  doubt  about  the  matter.  I  am  watched 
day  and  night  —  I,  an  insignificant  person  whose 
doings  can  be  of  no  possible  interest  save  to  you  and 
you  only." 

The  man  did  not  at  once  reply.  His  thoughts 
seemed  to  have  wandered  off  for  a  moment.  When 
he  spoke  again,  his  tone  had  lost  its  note  of  resent- 
ment. 

"  I  do  not  blame  you  for  your  suspicion,"  he  said 
calmly,  "  although  I  can  assure  you  that  I  have 
never  had  any  idea  of  having  you  watched.  It  is 
not  a  course  which  could  possibly  have  suggested 
itself  to  me,  even  in  my  most  unhappy  moments." 

She  was  puzzled  —  at  once  puzzled  and  inter- 
ested. 

"  I  am  so  glad  to  hear  this,"  she  said,  "  and  of 
course  I  believe  you,  but  there  the  fact  is.  I  think 
that  you  will  agree  with  me  that  it  is  curious." 

"  Isn't  it  possible,"  he  ventured  to  suggest,  "  that 
it  is  your  companions  who  are  the  object  of  this 
man's  vigilance?  You  are  not,  I  presume,  alon* 
here?" 

She  eyed  him  a  little  defiantly. 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  7 

"  I  am  here,"  she  announced,  "  with  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Draconmeyer." 

He  heard  her  without  any  change  of  expression, 
but  somehow  or  other  it  was  easy  to  see  that  her 
news,  although  more  than  half  expected,  had  stung 
him. 

"  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Draconmeyer,"  he  repeated,  with 
slight  emphasis  on  the  latter  portion  of  the  sentence. 

"  Certainly !  I  am  sorry,"  she  went  on,  a  mo- 
ment late,  "  that  my  companions  do  not  meet  with 
your  approval.  That,  however,  I  could  scarcely  ex- 
pect, considering — " 

"  Considering  what  ?  "  he  insisted,  watching  her 
steadfastly. 

"  Considering  all  things,"  she  replied,  after  a  mo- 
ment's pause. 

"  Mrs.  Draconmeyer  is  still  an  invalid?  " 

"  She  is  still  an  invalid." 

The  slightly  satirical  note  in  his  question  seemed 
to  provoke  a  certain  defiance  in  her  manner  as  she 
turned  a  little  sideways  towards  him.  She  moved 
her  fan  slowly  backwards  and  forwards,  her  head 
was  thrown  back,  her  manner  was  almost  belligerent. 
He  took  up  the  challenge.  He  asked  her  in  plain 
words  the  question  which  his  eyes  had  already  de- 
manded. 

"  I  find  myself  constrained  to  ask  you,"  he  said, 
in  a  studiously  measured  tone,  "  by  what  means  you 
became  possessed  of  the  pearls  you  are  wearing?  I 
do  not  seem  to  remember  them  as  your  property." 

Her  eyes  flashed. 

"  Don't  you  think,"  she  returned,  "  that  you  are 
a  little  outstepping  your  privileges  ?  " 


8  MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  he  declared.  "  You  are  my 
wife,  and  although  you  have  defied  me  in  a  certain 
matter,  you  are  still  subject  to  my  authority.  I 
see  you  wearing  jewels  in  public  of  which  you  were 
certainly  not  possessed  a  few  months  ago,  and  which 
neither  your  fortune  nor  mine  — " 

"  Let  me  set  your  mind  at  rest,"  she  interrupted 
icily.  "  The  pearls  are  not  mine.  They  belong  to 
Mrs.  Draconmeyer." 

"  Mrs.  Draconmeyer !  " 

"  I  am  wearing  them,"  she  continued,  "  at  Linda's 
special  request.  She  is  too  unwell  to  appear  in  public 
and  she  is  very  seldom  able  to  wear  any  of  her  won- 
derful jewelry.  It  gives  her  pleasure  to  see  them 
sometimes  upon  other  people." 

He  remained  quite  silent  for  several  moments.  He 
was,  in  reality,  passionately  angry.  Self-restraint, 
however,  had  become  such  a  habit  of  his  that  there 
were  no  indications  of  his  condition  save  in  the 
slight  twitchings  of  his  long  fingers  and  A  tightening 
at  the  corners  of  his  lips.  She,  however,  recognised 
the  symptoms  without  difficulty. 

"  Since  you  defy  my  authority,"  he  said,  "  may 
I  ask  whether  my  wishes  have  any  weight  with 
you?" 

"  That  depends,"  she  replied. 

"  It  is  my  earnest  wish,"  he  went  on,  "  that  you 
do  not  wear  another  woman's  jewelry,  either  in  public 
or  privately." 

She  appeared  to  reflect  for  a  moment.  In  effect 
she  was  struggling  against  a  conviction  that  his  re- 
quest was  reasonable. 

**  I  am  sorry,"  she  said  at  last.     "  I  see  no  harm. 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  9 

whatever  in  my  doing  so  in  this  particular  instance. 
It  gives  great  pleasure  to  poor  Mrs.  Draconmeyer 
to  see  her  jewels  and  admire  them,  even  if  she  is  un- 
able to  wear  them  herself.  It  gives  me  an  intense 
joy  which  even  a  normal  man  could  scarcely  be  ex- 
pected to  understand;  certainly  mot  you.  I  am 
sorry  that  I  cannot  humour  you." 

He  leaned  towards  her. 

"Not  if  I  beg  you?" 

She  looked  at  him  fixedly,  loolced  at  him  as  though 
she  searched  for  something  in  his  face,  or  was  ponder- 
ing over  something  in  his  tone.  It  was  a  moment 
which  might  have  meant  much.  If  she  could  have 
seen  into  his  heart  and  understood  the  fierce  jealousy 
which  prompted  his  words,  it  might  have  meant  a 
very  great  deal.  As  it  was,  her  contemplation  ap- 
peared to  be  unsatisfactory. 

"  I  am  sorry  that  you  should  lay  so  much  stress 
upon  so  small  a  thing,"  she  said.  "  You  were  al- 
ways unreasonable.  Your  present  request  is  another 
instance  of  it.  I  was  enjoying  myself  very  much 
indeed  until  you  came,  and  now  you  wish  to  deprive 
me  of  one  of  my  chief  pleasures.  I  cannot  humour 
you." 

He  turned  away.  Even  then  chance  might  have 
intervened.  The  moment  her  words  had  been  spoken 
she  realised  a  certain  injustice  in  them,  realised  a 
little,  perhaps,  the  point  of  view  of  this  man  who 
was  still  her  husband.  She  watched  him  almost 
eagerly,  hoping  to  find  some  sign  in  his  face  that  it 
was  not  only  his  stubborn  pride  which  spoke.  She 
failed,  however.  He  was  one  of  those  men  who  know 
too  well  how  to  wear  the  mask. 


io          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  May  I  ask  where  you  are  staying  here  ?  "  he 
enquired  presently. 

"  At  the  Hotel  de  Paris." 

"  It  is  unfortunate,"  he  observed.  "  I  will  move 
my  quarters  to-morrow." 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  Monte  Carlo  is  full  of  hotels,"  she  remarked, 
*'  but  it  seems  a  pity  that  you  should  move.  The 
place  is  large  enough  for  both  of  us." 

"  It  is  not  long,"  he  retorted,  "  since  you  found 
London  itself  too  small.  I  should  be  very  sorry  to 
spoil  your  holiday." 

Her  eyes  seemed  to  dwell  for  a  moment  upon  the 
Spanish  dancer  who  sat  at  the  table  opposite  them, 
a  woman  whose  name  had  once  been  a  household 
word,  dethroned  now,  yet  still  insistent  for  notice 
and  homage ;  commanding  them,  even,  with  the  wreck 
of  her  beauty  and  the  splendour  of  her  clothes. 

"  It  seems  a  queer  place,  this,"  she  observed,  "  for 
domestic  disagreements.  Let  us  try  to  avoid  dis- 
putable subjects.  Shall  I  be  too  inquisitive  if  I  ask 
you  once  more  what  in  the  name  of  all  that  is  unsuita- 
ble brought  you  to  such  a  place  as  Monte  Carlo  ?  " 

He  fenced  with  her  question.  Perhaps  he  resented 
the  slightly  ironical  note  in  her  tone.  Perhaps  there 
were  other  reasons. 

"  Why  should  I  not  come  to  Monte  Carlo?  "  he 
enquired.  "  Parliament  is  not  particularly  amusing 
when  one  is  in  opposition,  and  I  do  not  hunt.  The 
whole  world  amuses  itself  here." 

"  But  not  you,"  she  replied  quickly.  "  I  know 
you  better  than  that,  my  dear  Henry.  There  is 
nothing  here  or  in  this  atmosphere  which  could 


AN  UNEXPECTED  MEETING  u 

possibly  attract  you  for  long.  There  is  no  work 
for  you  to  do  —  work,  the  very  breath  of  your  body ; 
work,  the  one  thing  you  live  for  and  were  made  for ; 
work,  you  man  of  sawdust  and  red  tape." 

"  Am  I  as  bad  as  all  that  ?  "  he  asked  quietly. 

She  fingered  her  pearls  for  a  moment. 

"  Perhaps  I  haven't  the  right  to  complain,"  she 
acknowledged.  "  I  have  gone  my  own  way  always. 
But  if  one  is  permitted  to  look  for  a  moment  into  the 
past,  can  you  tell  me  a  single  hour  when  work  was 
not  the  prominent  thought  in  your  brain,  the  idol 
before  which  you  worshipped?  Why,  even  our 
honeymoon  was  spent  canvassing !  " 

"  The  election  was  an  unexpected  one,"  he  re- 
minded her. 

"  It  would  have  been  the  same  thing,"  she  declared. 
"  The  only  literature  which  you  really  understand 
is  a  Blue  Book,  and  the  only  music  you  hear  is  the 
chiming  of  Big  Ben." 

"  You  speak,"  he  remarked,  "  as  though  you 
resented  these  things.  Yet  you  knew  before  you 
married  me  that  I  had  ambitions,  that  I  did  not 
propose  to  lead  an  idle  life." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  knew !  "  she  assented  drily.  "  But  we 
are  wandering  from  the  point.  I  am  still  wondering 
what  has  brought  you  here.  Have  you  come  direct 
from  England?" 

He  shook  his  head. 

"  I  came  to-day  from  Bordighera." 

"  More  and  more  mysterious,"  she  murmured. 
"  Bordighera,  indeed !  I  thought  you  once  told  me 
that  you  hated  the  Riviera." 

"  So  I  do,"  he  agreed. 


12          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  And  yet  you  are  here?  " 

"  Yet  I  am  here." 

"  And  you  have  not  come  to  look  after  me,"  she 
went  on,  "  and  the  mystery  of  the  little  brown  man 
who  watches  me  is  still  unexplained." 

"  I  know  nothing  about  that  person,"  he  asserted, 
"  and  I  had  no  idea  that  you  were  here." 

"  Or  you  would  not  have  come  ?  "  she  challenged 
him. 

"  Your  presence,"  he  retorted,  nettled  into  for- 
getting himself  for  a  moment,  "  would  not  have 
altered  my  plans  in  the  slightest." 

"  Then  you  have  a  reason  for  coming ! "  she  ex- 
claimed quickly. 

He  gave  no  sign  of  annoyance  but  his  lips  were 
firmly  closed.  She  watched  him  steadfastly. 

"  I  wonder  at  myself  no  longer,"  she  continued. 
'*  I  do  not  think  that  any  woman  in  the  world  could 
ever  live  with  a  man  to  whom  secrecy  is  as  great  a 
necessity  as  the  very  air  he  breathes.  No  wonder, 
my  dear  Henry,  the  politicians  speak  so  well  of  you, 
and  so  confidently  of  your  brilliant  future ! " 

"  I  am  not  aware,"  he  observed  calmly,  "  that  I 
have  ever  been  unduly  secretive  so  far  as  you  are 
concerned.  During  the  last  few  months,  however, 
of  our  life  together,  you  must  remember  that  you 
chose  to  receive  on  terms  of  friendship  a  person  whom 
I  regard  — " 

Her  eyes  suddenly  flashed  him  a  warning.  He 
dropped  his  voice  almost  to  a  whisper.  A  man  was 
approaching  them. 

"  As  an  enemy,"  he  concluded,  under  his  breath. 


CHAPTER  H 

BY   ACCIDENT    OR    DESIGN 

The  newcomer,  who  had  presented  himself  now  be- 
fore Hunterleys  and  his  wife,  was  a  man  of  somewhat 
unusual  appearance.  He  was  tall,  thickly-built,  hi* 
black  beard  and  closely-cropped  hair  were  streaked 
with  grey,  he  wore  gold-rimmed  spectacles,  and  he 
carried  his  head  a  little  thrust  forward,  as  though, 
even  with  the  aid  of  his  glasses,  he  was  still  short- 
sighted. He  had  the  air  of  a  foreigner,  although 
his  tone,  when  he  spoke,  was  without  accent.  He 
held  out  his  hand  a  little  tentatively,  an  action,  how- 
ever, which  Hunterleys  appeared  to  ignore. 

"  My  dear  Sir  Henry !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  This  is 
a  surprise,  indeed!  Monte  Carlo  is  absolutely  the 
last  place  in  the  world  in  which  I  should  have  ex- 
pected to  come  across  you.  The  Sporting  Club,  too ! 
Well,  well,  well !  " 

Hunterleys,  standing  easily  with  his  hands  behind 
his  back,  raised  his  eyebrows.  The  two  men  were 
of  curiously  contrasting  types.  Hunterleys,  slim 
and  distinguished,  had  still  the  frame  of  an  athlete, 
notwithstanding  his  colourless  cheeks  and  the  worn 
lines  about  his  eyes.  He  was  dressed  with  extreme 
simplicity.  His  deep-set  eyes  and  sensitive  mouth 
were  in  marked  contrast  to  the  other's  coarser  mould 
of  features  and  rather  full  lips.  Yet  there  wa-s  about 


14          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

both  men  an  air  of  strength,  strength  developed,  per- 
haps, in  a  different  manner,  but  still  an  appreciable 
quality. 

"  They  say  that  the  whole  world  is  here,"  Hunter- 
leys  remarked.  "  Why  may  not  I  form  a  harmless 
unit  of  it?  " 

"Why  not,  indeed?"  Draconmeyer  assented 
heartily.  "  The  most  serious  of  us  must  have  our 
frivolous  moments.  I  hope  that  you  will  dine  with 
us  to-night?  We  shall  be  quite  alone." 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head. 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said,  "  I  have  another  engage- 
ment pending." 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  was  filled  with  polite  regrets^ 
but  he  did  not  renew  the  invitation. 

"  When  did  you  arrive?  "  he  asked. 

"  A  few  hours  ago,"  Hunterleys  replied. 

"By  the  Luxe?  How  strange!  I  went  down  to 
meet  it." 

"  I  came  from  the  other  side." 

"Ah!" 

Mr.  Draconmeyer's  ejaculation  was  interrogative, 
Hunterleys  hesitated  for  a  moment.  Then  he  con- 
tinued with  a  little  shrug  of  the  shoulders. 

"  I  have  been  staying  at  San  Remo  and  Bor- 
dighera." 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  was  much  interested. 

"  So  that  is  where  you  have  been  burying  your- 
self," he  remarked.  "  I  saw  from  the  papers  that 
you  had  accepted  a  six  months'  pair.  Surely, 
though,  you  don't  find  the  Italian  Riviera  very  amus- 
ing?  " 

"  I  am  abroad  for  a  rest,"  Hunterleys  replied. 


BY  ACCIDENT  OR  DESIGN  ig 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  smiled  curiously. 

"A  rest?"  he  repeated.  "That  rather  belies 
your  reputation,  you  know.  They  say  that  you  are 
tireless,  even  when  you  are  out  of  office." 

Hunterleys  turned  from  the  speaker  towards  his 
wife. 

"  I  have  not  tempted  fortune  myself  yet,"  he 
observed.  "  I  think  that  I  shall  have  a  look  into 
the  baccarat  room.  Do  you  care  to  stroll  that 
way?" 

Lady  Hunterleys  rose  at  once  to  her  feet.  Mr. 
Draconmeyer,  however,  intervened.  He  laid  his 
fingers  upon  Hunterleys'  arm. 

"  Sir  Henry,"  he  begged,  "  our  meeting  has  been 
quite  unexpected,  but  in  a  sense  it  is  opportune. 
Will  you  be  good  enough  to  give  me  five  minutes'  con- 
versation? " 

"  With  pleasure,"  Hunterleys  replied.  "  My  time 
is  quite  at  your  disposal,  if  you  have  anything  to- 
say." 

Draconmeyer  led  the  way  out  of  the  crowded  room, 
along  the  passage  and  into  the  little  bar.  They 
found  a  quiet  corner  and  two  easy-chairs.  Dracon- 
meyer gave  an  order  to  a  waiter.  For  a  few  mo- 
ments their  conversation  was  conventional. 

"  I  trust  that  you  think  your  wife  looking  better 
for  the  change?"  Draconmeyer  began.  "  Her  com- 
panionship is  a  source  of  great  pleasure  and  relief 
to  my  poor  wife." 

"  Does  the  conversation  you  wish  to  have  with  me 
refer  to  Lady  Hunterleys  ? "  her  husband  asked 
quietly.  "  If  so,  I  should  like  to  say  a  few  pre- 
liminary words  which  would,  I  hope,  place  the  matter 


16          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

at  once  beyond  the  possibility  of  any  misunderstand- 
ing." 

Draconmeyer  moved  a  little  uneasily  in  his  place. 

"  I  have  other  things  to  say,"  he  declared,  "  yet 
I  would  gladly  hear  what  is  in  your  mind  at  the 
present  moment.  You  do  not,  I  fear,  approve  of 
this  friendship  between  my  wife  and  Lady  Hunter- 
leys." 

Hunterleys  was  uncompromising,  almost  curt. 

"  I  do  not,"  he  agreed.  "  It  is  probably  no  secret 
to  you  that  my  wife  and  I  are  temporarily  estranged," 
he  continued.  "  The  chief  reason  for  that  estrange- 
ment is  that  I  forbade  her  your  house  or  your  ac- 
quaintance." 

Draconmeyer  was  a  little  taken  back.  Such  ex- 
treme directness  of  speech  was  difficult  to  deal  with. 

"  My  dear  Sir  Henry,"  he  protested,  "  you  dis- 
tress me.  I  do  not  understand  your  attitude  in  this 
matter  at  all." 

"  There  is  no  necessity  for  you  to  understand  it," 
Hunterleys  retorted  coolly.  "  I  claim  the  right  to 
regulate  my  wife's  visiting  list.  She  denies  that 
right." 

"  Apart  from  the  question  of  marital  control,"  Mr. 
Draconmeyer  persisted,  "  will  you  tell  me  why  you 
consider  my  wife  and  myself  unfit  persons  to  find  a 
place  amongst  Lady  Hunterleys'  acquaintances?  " 

"  No  man  is  bound  to  give  the  reason  for  his  dis- 
likes," Hunterleys  replied.  "  Of  your  wife  I  know 
nothing.  Nobody  does.  I  have  every  sympathy 
with  her  unfortunate  condition,  and  that  is  all.  You 
personally  I  dislike.  I  dislike  my  wife  to  be  seen 
with  you,  I  dislike  having  her  name  associated  with 


BY  ACCIDENT  OR  DESIGN  17 

yours  in  any  manner  whatsoever.  I  dislike  sitting 
with  you  here  myself.  I  only  hope  that  the  five 
minutes'  conversation  which  you  have  asked  for  will 
not  be  exceeded." 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  had  the  air  of  a  benevolent  per- 
son who  is  deeply  pained. 

"  Sir  Henry,"  he  sighed,  "  it  is  not  possible  for 
me  to  disregard  such  plain  speaking.  Forgive  me 
if  I  am  a  little  taken  aback  by  it.  You  are  known 
to  be  a  very  skilful  diplomatist  and  you  have  many 
weapons  in  your  armoury.  One  scarcely  expected, 
however  —  one's  breath  is  a  little  taken  away  by 
such  candour." 

"  I  am  not  aware,"  Hunterleys  said  calmly,  "  that 
the  question  of  diplomacy  need  come  in  when  one's 
only  idea  is  to  regulate  the  personal  acquaintances  of 
oneself  and  one's  wife." 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  sat  quite  still  for  a  moment, 
stroking  his  black  beard.  His  eyes  were  fixed  upon 
the  carpet.  He  seemed  to  be  struggling  with  a  prob- 
lem. 

"  You  have  taken  the  ground  from  beneath  my 
feet,"  he  declared.  "  Your  opinion  of  me  is  such 
that  I  hesitate  to  proceed  at  all  in  the  matter  which 
I  desired  to  discuss  with  you." 

"  That,"  Hunterleys  replied,  "  is  entirely  for  you 
to  decide.  I  am  perfectly  willing  to  listen  to  any- 
thing you  have  to  say  —  all  the  more  ready  because 
now  there  can  be  no  possibility  of  any  misunderstand- 
ing between  us." 

"  Very  well,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer  assented,  "  I  will 
proceed.  After  all,  I  am  not  sure  that  the  personal 
element  enters  into  what  I  was  about  to  say.  I  was 


i8          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

going  to  propose  not  exactly  an  alliance  —  that,  of 
course,  would  not  be  possible  —  but  I  was  certainly 
going  to  suggest  that  you  and  I  might  be  of  some 
service  to  one  another." 

"In  what  way?" 

"  I  call  myself  an  Englishman,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer 
went  on.  "  I  have  made  large  sums  of  money  in 
England,  I  have  grown  to  love  England  and  English 
ways.  Yet  I  came,  as  you  know,  from  Berlin.  The 
position  which  I  hold  in  your  city  is  still  the  position 
of  president  of  the  greatest  German  bank  in  the 
world.  It  is  German  finance  which  I  have  directed, 
and  with  German  money  I  have  made  my  fortune. 
To  be  frank  with  you,  however,  after  these  many 
years  in  London  I  have  grown  to  feel  myself  very 
much  of  an  Englishman." 

Hunterleys  was  sitting  perfectly  still.  His  face 
was  rigid  but  expressionless.  He  was  listening  in- 
tently. 

"  On  the  other  hand,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer  proceeded 
slowly,  "  I  wish  to  be  wholly  frank  with  you.  At 
heart  I  must  remain  always  a  German.  The  inter- 
ests of  my  country  must  always  be  paramount.  But 
listen.  In  Germany  there  are,  as  you  know,  two 
parties,  and  year  by  year  they  are  drawing  further 
apart.  I  will  not  allude  to  factions.  I  will  speak 
broadly.  There  is  the  war  party  and  there  is  the 
peace  party.  I  belong  to  the  peace  party.  I  be* 
long  to  it  as  a  German,  and  I  belong  to  it  as  a 
devoted  friend  of  England,  and  if  the  threatened 
conflict  between  the  two  should  come,  I  should  take 
my  stand  as  a  peace-loving  German-cum-English- 
man  against  the  war  party  even  of  my  own  country." 


BY  ACCIDENT  OR  DESIGN  19 

Hunterleys  still  made  no  sign.  Yet  for  one  who 
knew  him  it  was  easy  to  realise  that  he  was  listen- 
ing and  thinking  with  absorbed  interest. 

'*  So  far,"  Draconmeyer  pointed  out,  "  I  have  laid 
my  cards  on  the  table.  I  have  told  you  the  solemn 
truth.  I  regret  that  it  did  not  occur  to  me  to  do 
so  many  months  ago  in  London.  Now  to  proceed. 
I  ask  you  to  emulate  my  frankness,  and  in  return  I 
will  give  you  information  which  should  enable  us 
to  work  hand  in  hand  for  the  peace  which  we  both 
desire." 

"  You  ask  me,"  Hunterleys  said  thoughtfully,  "  to 
be  perfectly  frank  with  you.  In  what  respect? 
What  is  it  that  you  wish  from  me?  " 

"  Not  political  information,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer 
declared,  his  eyes  blinking  behind  his  glasses.  "  For 
that  I  certainly  should  not  come  to  you.  I  only  wish 
to  ask  you  a  question,  and  I  must  ask  it  so  that  we 
may  meet  on  a  common  ground  of  confidence.  Are 
you  here  in  Monte  Carlo  to  look  after  your  wife,  or 
in  search  of  change  of  air  and  scene?  Is  that  your 
honest  motive  for  being  here?  Or  is  there  any  other 
reason  in  the  world  which  has  prompted  you  to  come 
to  Monte  Carlo  during  this  particular  month  —  I 
might  almost  say  this  particular  week  ?  " 

Hunterleys'  attitude  was  that  of  a  man  who  holds 
in  his  hand  a  puzzle  and  is  doubtful  where  to  com- 
mence in  his  efforts  to  solve  it. 

"  Are  you  not  a  little  mysterious  this  afternoon, 
Mr.  Draconmeyer?  "  he  asked  coldly.  "  Or  are  you 
trying  to  incite  a  supposititious  curiosity?  I  really 
cannot  see  the  drift  of  your  question." 

*'  Answer  it,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer  insisted. 


ao          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Hunterleys  took  a  cigarette  from  his  case,  tapped 
it  upon  the  table  and  lit  it  in  leisurely  fashion. 

"  If  you  have  any  idea,"  he  said,  "  that  I  came 
here  to  confront  my  wife,  or  to  interfere  in  any  way 
with  her  movements,  let  me  assure  you  that  you  are 
mistaken.  I  had  no  idea  that  Lady  Hunterleys  was 
in  Monte  Carlo.  I  am  here  because  I  have  a  six 
months'  holiday,  and  a  holiday  for  the  average  Eng- 
lishman between  January  and  April  generally  means, 
as  you  must  be  aware,  the  Riviera.  I  have  tried 
Bordighera  and  San  Remo.  I  have  found  them,  as 
I  no  doubt  shall  find  this  place,  wearisome.  In  the 
end  I  suppose  I  shall  drift  back  to  London." 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  frowned. 

"  You  left  London,"  he  remarked  tersely,  "  on 
December  first.  It  is  to-day  February  twentieth. 
Do  you  wish  me  to  understand  that  you  have  been  at 
Bordighera  and  San  Remo  all  that  time  ?  " 

"  How  did  you  know  when  I  left  London?  "  Hun- 
terleys demanded. 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  pursed  his  lips. 

"  I  heard  of  your  departure  from  London  entirely 
by  accident,"  he  said.  "  Your  wife,  for  some  reason 
or  other,  declined  to  discuss  your  movements.  I  im- 
agine that  she  was  acting  in  accordance  with  your 
wishes." 

"  I  see,"  Hunterleys  observed  coolly.  "  And  your 
present  anxiety  is  to  know  where  I  spent  the  inter- 
vening time,  and  why  I  am  here  in  Monte  Carlo? 
Frankly,  Mr.  Draconmeyer,  I  look  upon  this  close 
interest  in  my  movements  as  an  impertinence.  My 
travels  have  been  of  no  importance,  but  they  concern 
myself  only.  I  have  no  confidence  to  offer  respect- 


BY  ACCIDENT  OR  DESIGN  21 

ing  them.  If  I  had,  it  would  not  be  to  you  that  I 
should  unburden  myself." 

"  You  suspect  me,  then  ?  You  doubt  my  in- 
tegrity?" 

"  Not  at  all,"  Hunterleys  assured  his  questioner. 
"  For  anything  I  know  to  the  contrary,  you  are, 
outside  the  world  of  finance,  one  of  the  dullest  and 
most  harmless  men  existing.  My  own  position  is 
simply  as  I  explained  it  during  the  first  few  sentences 
we  exchanged.  I  do  not  like  you,  I  detest  my 
wife's  name  being  associated  with  yours,  and  for 
that  reason,  the  less  I  see  of  you  the  better  I  am 
pleased." 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  nodded  thoughtfully.  He  was, 
to  all  appearance,  studying  the  pattern  of  the  car- 
pet. For  once  in  his  life  he  was  genuinely  puzzled. 
Was  this  man  by  his  side  merely  a  jealous  husband, 
or  had  he  any  idea  of  the  greater  game  which  was 
being  played  around  them  ?  Had  he,  by  any  chance, 
arrived  to  take  part  in  it?  Was  it  wise,  in  any 
case,  to  pursue  the  subject  further?  Yet  if  he 
abandoned  it  at  this  juncture,  it  must  be  with  a 
sense  of  failure,  and  failure  was  a  thing  to  which 
he  was  not  accustomed. 

"  Your  frankness,"  he  admitted  grimly,  "  is  almost 
exhilarating.  Our  personal  relations  being  so 
clearly  defined,  I  am  inclined  to  go  further  even  than 
I  had  intended.  We  cannot  now  possibly  misunder- 
stand one  another.  Supposing  I  were  to  tell  you 
that  your  arrival  in  Monte  Carlo,  accidental  though 
it  may  be,  is  in  a  sense  opportune;  that  you  may, 
in  a  short  time  meet  here  one  or  two  politicians, 
friends  of  mine,  with  whom  an  interchange  of  views 


23          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

might  be  agreeable?  Supposing  I  were  to  offer  my 
services  as  an  intermediary?  You  would  like  to 
bring  about  better  relations  with  my  country,  would 
you  not,  Sir  Henry?  You  are  admittedly  a  states- 
man and  an  influential  man  in  your  Party.  I  am 
only  a  banker,  it  is  true,  but  I  have  been  taken  into 
the  confidence  of  those  who  direct  the  destinies  of 
my  country." 

Hunterleys'  face  reflected  none  of  the  other's  ear- 
nestness. He  seemed,  indeed,  a  little  bored,  and  he 
answered  almost  irritably. 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you,"  he  said,  "  but  Monte 
Carlo  seems  scarcely  the  place  to  me  for  political 
discussions,  added  to  which  I  have  no  official  posi- 
tion. I  could  not  receive  or  exchange  confidences. 
While  my  Party  is  out  of  power,  there  is  nothing 
left  for  us  but  to  mark  time.  I  dare  say  you  mean 
well,  Mr.  Draconmeyer,"  he  added,  rising  to  his 
feet,  "  but  I  am  here  to  forget  politics  altogether,  if 
I  can.  If  you  will  excuse  me,  I  think  I  will  look  in  at 
the  baccarat  rooms." 

He  was  on  the  point  of  departure  when  through 
the  open  doorway  which  communicated  with  the  bac- 
carat rooms  beyond  came  a  man  of  sufficiently  ar- 
resting personality,  a  man  remarkably  fat,  with 
close-cropped  grey  hair  which  stuck  up  like  bristles 
all  over  his  head;  a  huge,  clean-shaven  face  which 
seemed  concentrated  at  that  moment  in  one  tre- 
mendous smile  of  overwhelming  good-humour.  He 
held  by  the  hand  a  little  French  girl,  dark,  small, 
looking  almost  like  a  marionette  in  her  slim  tailor- 
made  costume.  He  recognised  Draconmeyer  with 
en^usiasm. 


BY  ACCIDENT  OR  DESIGN  23 

"  My  friend  Draconmeyer,"  he  exclaimed,  in  sten- 
torian tones,  "  baccarat  is  the  greatest  game  in  the 
world.  I  have  won  —  I,  who  know  nothing  about  it, 
have  won  a  hundred  louis.  It  is  amazing!  There 
is  no  place  like  this  in  the  world.  We  are  here  to 
drink  a  bottle  of  wine  together,  mademoiselle  and  I, 
mademoiselle  who  was  at  once  my  instructress  and 
my  mascot.  Afterwards  we  go  to  the  jeweler's. 
Why  not  ?  A  fair  division  of  the  spoils  —  fifty 
louis  for  myself,  fifty  louis  for  a  bracelet  for 
mademoiselle.  And  then  — " 

He  broke  off  suddenly.  His  gesture  was  almost 
dramatic. 

"  I  am  forgotten ! "  he  cried,  holding  out  his  hand 
to  Hunterleys, — "  forgotten  already !  Sir  Henry, 
there  are  many  who  forget  me  as  a  humble  Minister 
of  my  master,  but  there  are  few  who  forget  me 
physically.  I  am  Selingman.  We  met  in  Berlin,  six 
years  ago.  You  came  with  your  great  Foreign 
Secretary." 

"  I  remember  you  perfectly,"  Hunterleys  assured 
him,  as  he  submitted  to  the  newcomer's  vigorous 
handshake.  "  We  shall  meet  again,  I  trust." 

Selingman  thrust  his  arm  through  Hunterleys'  as 
though  to  prevent  his  departure. 

"  You  shall  not  run  away ! "  he  declared.  "  I 
introduce  both  of  you  —  Mr.  Draconmeyer,  the  great 
Anglo-German  banker;  Sir  Henry  Hunterleys,  the 
English  politician  —  to  Mademoiselle  Estelle  Nipon, 
of  the  Opera  House.  Now  we  all  know  one  another. 
We  shall  be  good  friends.  We  will  share  that  bottle 
of  champagne." 

"  One  bottle  between  four !  "  mademoiselle  laughed, 


24          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

poutingly.  "  And  I  am  parched !  I  have  taught 
monsieur  baccarat.  I  am  exhausted." 

"  A  magnum ! "  Selingman  ordered  in  a  voice  of 
thunder,  shaking  his  fist  at  the  startled  waiter. 
"  We  seat  ourselves  here  at  the  round  table. 
Mademoiselle,  we  will  drink  champagne  together 
until  the  eyes  of  all  of  us  sparkle  as  yours  do.  We 
will  drink  champagne  until  we  do  not  believe  that 
there  is  such  a  thing  as  losing  at  games  or  in  life. 
We  will  drink  champagne  until  we  all  four  believe 
that  we  have  been  brought  up  together,  that  we  are 
bosom  friends  of  a  lifetime.  See,  this  is  how  we  will 
place  ourselves.  Mademoiselle,  if  the  others  make 
love  to  you,  take  no  notice.  It  is  I  who  have  put 
fifty  louis  in  one  pocket  for  that  bracelet.  Do  not 
trust  Sir  Henry  there;  he  has  a  reputation." 

As  usual,  the  overpowering  Selingman  had  his 
way.  Neither  Draconmeyer  nor  Hunterleys  at- 
tempted to  escape.  They  took  their  places  at  the 
table.  They  drank  champagne  and  they  listened  to 
Selingman.  All  the  time  he  talked,  save  when 
mademoiselle  interrupted  him.  Seated  upon  a  chair 
which  seemed  absurdly  inadequate,  his  great  stomach 
with  its  vast  expanse  of  white  waistcoat  in  full  view, 
his  short  legs  doubled  up  beneath  him,  he  beamed 
upon  them  all  with  a  smile  which  never  failed. 

"  It  is  a  wonderful  place,"  he  declared,  as  he  lifted 
his  glass  for  the  fifth  time.  "  We  will  drink  to  it, 
this  Monte  Carlo.  It  is  here  that  they  come  from 
all  quarters  of  the  world  —  the  ladies  who  charm 
away  our  hearts,"  he  added,  bowing  to  mademoiselle, 
*  the  financiers  whose  word  can  shake  the  money- 
markets  of  the  world,  and  the  politicians  who  un- 


BY  ACCIDENT  OR  DESIGN  25 

bend,  perhaps,  just  a  little  in  the  sunshine  here, 
however  cold  and  inflexible  they  may  be  under  their 
own  austere  skies.  For  the  last  time,  then  — 1« 
Monte  Carlo !  To  Monte  Carlo,  dear  mademoiselle ! 
—  messieurs ! " 

They  drank  the  toast  and  a  few  minutes  later 
Hunterleys  slipped  away.  The  two  men  looked 
after  him.  The  smile  seemed  gradually  to  leave 
Selingman's  lips,  his  face  was  large  and  impres- 
sive. 

"  Run  and  fetch  your  cloak,  dear,"  he  said  to  the 
girl. 

She  obeyed  at  once.  Selingman  leaned  across  the 
table  towards  his  companion. 

"  What  does  Hunterleys  do  here  ?  "  he  asked. 

Draconmeyer  shook  his  head. 

"  Who  knows  ?  "  he  answered.  "  Perhaps  he  has 
come  to  look  after  his  wife.  He  has  been  to  Bor- 
dighera  and  San  Remo." 

"  Is  that  all  he  told  you  of  his  movements  ?  " 

"  That  is  all,"  Draconmeyer  admitted.  "  He  was 
suspicious.  I  made  no  progress." 

"  Bordighera  and  San  Remo ! "  Selingman  mut- 
tered under  his  breath.  "  For  a  day,  perhaps,  or 
two." 

"  What  do  you  know  about  him  ?  "  Draconmeyer 
asked,  his  eyes  suddenly  bright  beneath  his  spectacles. 
"  I  have  been  suspicious  ever  since  I  met  him,  an  hour 
ago.  He  left  England  on  December  first." 

"  It  is  true,"  Selingman  assented.  "  He  crossed 
to  Paris,  and  —  mark  the  cunning  of  it  —  he  re- 
turned to  England.  That  same  night  he  travelled 
to  Germany.  We  lost  him  in  Vienna  and  found  him 


26          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

again  in  Sofia.  What  does  it  mean,  I  wonder? 
What  does  it  mean?  " 

"  I  have  been  talking  to  him  for  twenty  minutes 
in  here  before  you  came,"  Draconmeyer  said.  "  I 
tried  to  gain  his  confidence.  He  told  me  nothing. 
He  never  even  mentioned  that  journey  of  his." 

Selingman  was  sitting  drumming  upon  the  table 
with  his  broad  fingertips. 

"  Sofia !  "  he  murmured.  "  And  now  —  here ! 
Draconmeyer,  there  is  work  before  us.  I  know  men, 
I  tell  you.  I  know  Hunterleys.  I  watched  him,  I 
listened  to  him  in  Berlin  six  years  ago.  He  was  with 
his  master  then  but  he  had  nothing  to  learn  from  him. 
He  is  of  the  stuff  diplomats  are  fashioned  of.  He 
has  it  in  his  blood.  There  is  work  before  us,  Dra- 
conmeyer." 

"  If  monsieur  is  ready !  "  mademoiselle  interposed, 
a  little  petulantly,  letting  the  tip  of  her  boa  play 
for  a  moment  on  his  cheek. 

Selingman  finished  his  wine  and  rose  to  his  feet. 
Once  more  the  smile  encompassed  his  face.  Of  what 
account,  after  all,  were  the  wanderings  of  this  melan- 
choly Englishman !  There  was  mademoiselle's  brace- 
let to  be  bought,  and  perhaps  a  few  flowers.  Seling- 
man pulled  down  his  waistcoat  and  accepted  his  grey 
Homburg  hat  from  the  vestiajre.  He  held  mademoi- 
selle's fingers  as  they  descended  the  stairs.  He 
looked  like  a  school-boy  of  enormous  proportions  on 
his  way  to  a  feast. 

*  We  drank  to  Monte  Carlo  in  champagne,"  he 
declared,  as  they  turned  on  to  the  terrace  and  de- 
scended the  stone  steps,  "  but,  dear  Estelle,  we  drink 
to  it  from  our  hearts  with  every  breath  we  draw  of 


BY  ACCIDENT  OR  DESIGN  27 

this  wonderful  air,  every  time  our  feet  touch  the 
buoyant  ground.  Believe  me,  little  one,  the  other 
things  are  of  no  account.  The  true  philosophy  of 
life  and  living  is  here  in  Monte  Carlo.  You  and  I 
will  solve  it." 


CHAPTER  III 

A    WARNING 

Hunterleys  dined  alone  at  a  small  round  table, 
set  in  a  remote  corner  of  the  great  restaurant  at- 
tached to  the  Hotel  de  Paris.     The  scene  around  him 
was   full   of  colour  and  interest.     A  scarlet-coated 
band  made  wonderful  music.     The  toilettes  of  the 
women  who  kept  passing  backwards  and  forwards, 
on  their  way  to  the  various  tables,  were  marvellous ; 
in  their  way  unique.     The  lights  and  flowers  of  the 
room,  its  appointments  and  adornments,  all  repre- 
sented the  last  word  in  luxury.     Everywhere   was 
colour,  everywhere  an  almost  strained  attempt  to  im- 
press upon  the  passerby  the  fact  that  this  was  no 
ordinary    holiday    resort    but    the    giant    pleasure- 
ground  of  all  in  the  world  who  had  money  to  throw 
away  and  the  capacity  for  enjoyment.     Only  once  a 
more  somber  note  seemed  struck  when  Mrs.  Dracon- 
meyer,  leaning  on  her  husband's  arm  and  accom- 
panied by  a  nurse  and  Lady  Hunterleys,  passed  to 
their    table.     Hunterleys'    eyes    followed    the    little 
party  until  they  had  reached  their  destination  and 
taken  their  places.     His  wife  was  wearing  black  and 
she  had  discarded  the  pearls  which  had  hung  around 
her  neck  during  the  afternoon.    She  wore  only  a  collar 
of  diamonds,  his  gift.   Her  hair  was  far  less  elaborately 
coiffured  and  her  toilette  less  magnificent  than  the 


A  WARNING  29 

toilettes  of  the  women  by  whom  she  was  surrounded. 
Yet  as  he  looked  from  his  corner  across  the  room  at 
her,  Hunterleys  realised  as  he  had  realised  instantly 
twelve  years  ago  when  he  had  first  met  her,  that  she 
was  incomparable.  There  was  no  other  woman  in  the 
whole  of  that  great  restaurant  with  her  air  of  quiet 
elegance ;  no  other  woman  so  faultless  in  the  smaller 
details  of  her  toilette  and  person.  Hunterleys 
watched  with  expressionless  face  but  with  anger 
growing  in  his  heart,  as  he  saw  Draconmeyer  bend- 
ing towards  her,  accepting  her  suggestions  about  the 
dinner,  laughing  when  she  laughed,  watching  almost 
humbly  for  her  pleasure  or  displeasure.  It  was  a 
cursed  mischance  which  had  brought  him  to  Monte 
Carlo ! 

Hunterleys  hurried  over  his  dinner,  and  without 
even  going  to  his  room  for  a  hat  or  coat,  walked 
across  the  square  in  the  soft  twilight  of  an  unusually 
warm  February  evening  and  took  a  table  outside  the 
Cafe  de  Paris,  where  he  ordered  coffee.  Around  him 
was  a  far  more  cosmopolitan  crowd,  increasing  every 
moment  in  volume.  Every  language  was  being 
spoken,  mostly  German.  As  a  rule,  such  a  gathering 
of  people  was,  in  its  way,  interesting  to  Hunterleys. 
To-night  his  thoughts  were  truant.  He  forgot  his 
strenuous  life  of  the  last  three  months,  the  dangers 
and  discomforts  through  which  he  had  passed,  the 
curious  sequence  of  events  which  had  brought  him, 
full  of  anticipation,  nerved  for  a  crisis,  to  Monte 
Carlo  of  all  places  in  the  world.  He  forgot  that  he 
was  in  the  midst  of  great  events,  himself  likely  to 
take  a  hand  in  them.  His  thoughts  took,  rarely 
enough  for  him,  a  purely  personal  and  sentimental 


30          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

turn.  He  thought  of  the  earliest  days  of  his  mar- 
riage, when  he  and  his  wife  had  wandered  about  the 
gardens  of  his  old  home  in  Wiltshire  on  spring  even- 
ings such  as  these,  and  had  talked  sometimes  lightly, 
sometimes  seriously,  of  the  future.  Almost  as  he 
sat  there  in  the  midst  of  that  noisy  crowd,  he  could 
catch  the  faint  perfume  of  hyacinths  from  the  bor- 
ders along  which  they  had  passed  and  the  trimly-cut 
flower-beds  which  fringed  the  deep  green  lawn.  Al- 
most he  could  hear  the  chiming  of  the  old  stable 
clock,  the  clear  note  of  a  thrush  singing.  A  puff  of 
wind  brought  them  a  waft  of  fainter  odour  from  the 
wild  violets  which  carpeted  the  woods.  Then  the 
darkness  crept  around  them,  a  star  came  out.  Hand 
in  hand  they  turned  towards  the  house  and  into  the 
library,  where  a  wood  fire  was  burning  on  the  grate. 
His  thoughts  travelled  on.  A  wave  of  tenderness 
had  assailed  him.  Then  he  was  awakened  by  the 
waiter's  voice  at  his  elbow. 

"  Le  cafe,  monsieur." 

He  sat  up  in  his  chair.  His  dreaming  moments 
were  few  and  this  one  had  passed.  He  set  his  heel 
upon  that  tide  of  weakening  memories,  sipped  his 
coffee  and  looked  out  upon  the  crowd.  Three  or 
four  times  he  glanced  at  his  watch  impatiently.  Pre- 
cisely at  nine  o'clock,  a  man  moved  from  somewhere 
in  the  throng  behind  and  took  the  vacant  chair  by 
his  side. 

"  If  one  could  trouble  monsieur  for  a  match ! " 

Hunterleys  turned  towards  the  newcomer  as  he 
handed  his  matchbox.  He  was  a  young  man  of  me- 
dium height,  with  sandy  complexion,  a  little  freckled, 
and  with  a  straggling  fair  moustache.  He  had  keen 


A  WARNING  31 

grey  eyes  and  the  faintest  trace  of  a  Scotch  accent. 
He  edged  his  chair  a  little  nearer  to  Hunterleys. 

"  Much  obliged,"  he  said.  "  Wonderful  evening, 
isn't  it?  " 

Hunterleys  nodded. 

"  Have  you  anything  to  tell  me,  David  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  We  are  right  in  the  thick  of  it,"  the  other  re- 
plied, his  tone  a  little  lowered.  "  There  is  more  to 
tell  than  I  like." 

"  Shall  we  stroll  along  the  Terrace?  "  Hunterleys 
suggested. 

"  Don't  move  from  your  seat,"  the  young  man  en- 
joined. "  You  are  watched  here,  and  so  am  I,  in  a 
way,  although  it's  more  my  news  they  want  to  cen- 
sor than  anything  personal.  This  crowd  of  Ger- 
mans around  us,  without  a  single  vacant  chair,  is  the 
best  barrier  we  can  have.  Listen.  Selingman  ia 
here." 

"  I  saw  him  this  afternoon  at  the  Sporting  Club," 
Hunterleys  murmured. 

"  Douaille  will  be  here  the  day  after  to-morrow,  if 
he  has  not  already  arrived,"  the  newcomer  continued. 
"  It  was  given  out  in  Paris  that  he  was  going  down  to 
Marseilles  and  from  there  to  Toulon,  to  spend  three 
days  with  the  fleet.  They  sent  a  paragraph  into 
our  office  there.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  he's  coming 
straight  on  here.  I  can't  learn  how,  exactly,  but  I 
fancy  by  motor-car." 

"  You're  sure  that  Douaille  is  coming  himself  ?  " 
Hunterleys  asked  anxiously. 

"  Absolutely !  His  wife  and  family  have  been  bus- 
tled down  to  Mentone,  so  as  to  afford  a  pretext  for 
his  presence  here  if  the  papers  get  hold  of  it.  I  have 


32          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

found  out  for  certain  that  they  came  at  a  moment'* 
notice  and  were  not  expecting  to  leave  home  at  all. 
Douaille  will  have  full  powers,  and  the  conference  will 
take  place  at  the  Villa  Mimosa.  That  will  be  the 
headquarters  of  the  whole  thing.  .  .  .  Look  out,  Sir 
Henry.  They've  got  their  eyes  on  us.  The  little 
fellow  in  brown,  close  behind,  is  hand  in  glove  with 
the  police.  They  tried  to  get  me  into  a  row  last 
night.  It's  only  my  journalism  they  suspect,  but 
they'd  shove  me  over  the  frontier  at  the  least  excuse. 
They're  certain  to  try  something  of  the  sort  with 
you,  if  they  get  any  idea  that  we  are  on  the  scent. 
Sit  tight,  sir,  and  watch.  I'm  off.  You  know  where 
to  find  me." 

The  young  man  raised  his  hat  and  left  Hunterleys 
with  the  polite  farewell  of  a  stranger.  His  seat  was 
almost  immediately  seized  by  a  small  man  dressed  in 
brown,  a  man  with  a  black  imperial  and  moustache 
curled  upwards.  As  Hunterleys  glanced  towards 
him,  he  raised  his  Homburg  hat  politely  and  smiled. 

"Monsieur's  friend  has  departed?"  he  enquired. 
"  This  seat  is  disengaged  ?  " 

"  As  you  see,"  Hunterleys  replied. 

The  little  man  smiled  his  thanks,  seated  himself 
with  a  sigh  of  content  and  ordered  coffee  from  a  pass- 
ing waiter. 

"  Monsieur  is  doubtless  a  stranger  to  Monte 
Carlo?  " 

"  It  is  my  second  visit  only,"  Hunterleys  admitted. 

"  For  myself  I  am  an  habitue,"  the  little  man  con- 
tinued, "  I  might  almost  say  a  resident.  Therefore, 
all  faces  soon  become  familiar  to  me.  Directly  I  saw 
monsieur,  I  knew  that  he  was  not  a  frequenter." 


A  WARNING  33 

Hunterleys  turned  a  little  in  his  chair  and  sur- 
veyed his  neighbour  curiously.  The  man  was  neatly 
dressed  and  he  spoke  English  with  scarcely  any  ac- 
cent. His  shoulders  and  upturned  moustache  gave 
him  a  military  appearance. 

"  There  is  nothing  I  envy  any  one  so  much  in  life," 
he  proceeded,  "  as  coming  to  Monte  Carlo  for  the 
first  or  second  time.  There  is  so  much  to  know,  to 
see,  to  understand." 

Hunterleys  made  no  effort  to  discourage  his  com- 
panion's obvious  attempts  to  be  friendly.  The  lat- 
ter talked  with  spirit  for  some  time. 

"  If  it  would  not  be  regarded  as  a  liberty,"  he  said 
at  last,  as  Hunterleys  rose  to  move  off,  "  may  I  be 
permitted  to  present  myself?  My  name  is  Hugot? 
I  am  half  English,  half  French.  Years  ago  my 
health  broke  down  and  I  accepted  a  position  in  a 
bank  here.  Since  then  I  have  come  in  to  money.  If 
I  have  a  hobby  in  life,  it  is  to  show  my  beloved  Monte 
Carlo  to  strangers.  If  monsieur  would  do  me  the 
honour  to  spare  me  a  few  hours  to-night,  later  on,  I 
would  endeavour  to  see  that  he  was  amused." 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head.  He  remained,  how- 
ever, perfectly  courteous.  He  had  a  conviction  that 
this  was  the  man  who  had  been  watching  his  wife. 

"  You  are  very  kind,  sir,"  he  replied.  "  I  am  here 
only  for  a  few  days  and  for  the  benefit  of  my  health. 
I  dare  not  risk  late  hours.  We  shall  meet  again,  I 
trust." 

He  strolled  off  and  as  he  hesitated  upon  the  steps 
of  the  Casino  he  glanced  across  towards  the  Hotel 
de  Paris.  At  that  moment  a  woman  came  out,  a 
light  cloak  over  her  evening  gown.  She  was  followed 


34          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

by  an  attendant.  Hunterleys  recognised  his  wife 
and  watched  them  with  a  curious  little  thrill.  They 
turned  towards  the  Terrace.  Very  slowly  he,  too, 
moved  in  the  same  direction.  They  passed  through 
the  gardens  of  the  Hotel  de  Paris,  and  Hunterleys, 
keeping  to  the  left,  met  them  upon  the  Terrace 
as  they  emerged.  As  they  came  near  he  accosted 
them. 

"  Violet,"  he  began. 

She  started. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,"  she  said.  "  I  did  not  recog- 
nise you." 

"  Haven't  you  been  told,"  he  asked  stiffly,  "  that 
the  Terrace  is  unsafe  for  women  after  twilight  ?  " 

"  Very  often,"  she  assented,  with  that  little  smile 
at  the  corners  of  her  lips  which  once  he  had  found  so 
charming  and  which  now  half  maddened  him.  "  Un- 
fortunately, I  have  a  propensity  for  doing  things 
which  are  dangerous.  Besides,  I  have  my  maid." 

"  Another  woman  is  no  protection,"  he  declared. 

"  Susanne  can  shriek,"  Lady  Hunterleys  assured 
him.  "  She  has  wonderful  lungs  and  she  loves  to  use 
them.  She  would  shriek  at  the  least  provocation." 

"  And  meanwhile,"  Hunterleys  observed  drily, 
"  while  she  is  indulging  in  her  vocal  exercises,  things 
happen.  If  you  wish  to  promenade  here,  permit  me 
to  be  your  escort." 

She  hesitated  for  a  moment,  frowning.  Then  she 
continued  her  walk. 

"  You  are  very  kind,"  she  assented.  "  Perhaps 
you  are  like  me,  though,  and  feel  the  restfulness  of  a 
quiet  place  after  these  throngs  and  throngs  of  peo- 
ple." 


A  WARNING  35 

They  passed  slowly  down  the  broad  promenade, 
deserted  now  save  for  one  or  two  loungers  like  them- 
selves, and  a  few  other  furtive,  hurrying  figures. 
In  front  of  them  stretched  an  arc  of  glittering  lights 
—  the  wonderful  Bay  of  Mentone,  with  Bordighera 
on  the  distant  sea-board;  higher  up,  the  twinkling 
lights  from  the  villas  built  on  the  rocky  hills.  And 
at  their  feet  the  sea,  calm,  deep,  blue,  lapping  the 
narrow  belt  of  hard  sand,  scintillating  with  the  re- 
flection of  a  thousand  lights ;  on  the  horizon  a  blood- 
red  moon,  only  half  emerged  from  the  sea. 

"  Since  we  have  met,  Henry,"  Lady  Hunterleys 
said  at  last,  "  there  is  something  which  I  should  like 
to  say  to  you." 

"Certainly!" 

She  glanced  behind.  Susanne  had  fallen  dis- 
creetly into  the  rear.  She  was  a  new  importation 
and  she  had  no  idea  as  to  the  identity  of  the  tall, 
severe-looking  Englishman  who  walked  by  her  mis- 
tress's side. 

"  There  is  something  going  on  in  Monte  Carlo," 
Lady  Hunterleys  went  on,  "  which  I  cannot  under- 
stand. Mr.  Draconmeyer  knows  about  it,  I  believe, 
although  he  is  not  personally  concerned  in  it.  But 
he  will  tell  me  nothing.  I  only  know  that  for  some 
reason  or  other  your  presence  here  seems  to  be  an 
annoyance  to  certain  people.  Why  it  should  be  I 
don't  know,  but  I  want  to  ask  you  about  it.  Will 
you  tell  me  the  truth?  Are  you  sure  that  you  did 
not  come  here  to  spy  upon  me  ?  " 

"  I  certainly  did  not,"  Hunterleys  answered  firmly. 
"  I  had  no  idea  that  you  were  near  the  place.  If  I 
had—" 


36          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

She  turned  her  head.  The  smile  was  there  once 
more  and  a  queer,  soft  light  in  her  eyes. 

"  If  you  had?  "  she  murmured. 

"  My  visit  here,  under  the  present  circumstances, 
would  have  been  more  distasteful  than  it  is,"  Hunter- 
leys  replied  stiffly. 

She  bit  her  lip  and  turned  away.  When  she  re- 
sumed the  conversation,  her  tone  was  completely 
changed. 

"  I  speak  to  you  now,"  she  said,  "  in  your  own  in- 
terests. Mr.  Draconmeyer  is,  of  course,  not  person- 
ally connected  with  this  affair,  whatever  it  may  be, 
but  he  is  a  wonderful  man  and  he  hears  many  things. 
To-night,  before  dinner,  he  gave  me  a  few  words  of 
warning.  He  did  not  tell  me  to  pass  them  on  to  you 
but  I  feel  sure  that  he  hoped  I  would.  You  would 
not  listen  to  them  from  him  because  you  do  not  like 
him.  I  am  afraid  that  you  will  take  very  little  more 
heed  of  what  I  say,  but  at  least  you  will  believe  that 
I  speak  in  your  own  interests.  Mr.  Draconmeyer 
believes  that  your  presence  here  is  misunderstood. 
A  person  whom  he  describes  as  being  utterly  without 
principle  and  of  great  power  is  incensed  by  it.  To 
speak  plainly,  you  are  in  danger." 

"  I  am  flattered,"  Hunterleys  remarked,  "  by  this 
interest  on  my  behalf." 

She  turned  her  head  and  looked  at  him.  His  face, 
in  this  cold  light  before  the  moon  came  up,  was  al- 
most like  the  face  of  some  marble  statue,  lifeless,  set, 
of  almost  stonelike  severity.  She  knew  the  look  so 
well  and  she  sighed. 

"  You  need  not  be,"  she  replied  bitterly.  "  Mine 
is  merely  the  ordinary  feeling  of  one  human  creature 


A  WARNING  37 

for  another.  In  a  sense  it  seems  absurd,  I  suppose,, 
to  speak  to  you  as  I  am  doing.  Yet  I  do  know  that 
this  place  which  looks  so  beautiful  has  strange  under- 
currents. People  pass  away  here  in  the  most  ortho- 
dox fashion  in  the  world,  outwardly,  but  their  real 
ending  is  often  never  known  at  all.  Everything  is- 
possible  here,  and  Mr.  Draconmeyer  honestly  believes 
that  you  are  in  danger.". 

They  had  reached  the  end  of  the  Terrace  and  they 
turned  back. 

"  I  thank  you  very  much,  Violet,"  Hunterleys  said 
earnestly.  "  In  return,  may  I  say  something  to  you  ? 
If  there  is  any  danger  threatening  me  or  those  inter- 
ests which  I  guard,  the  man  whom  you  have  chosen 
to  make  your  intimate  friend  is  more  deeply  con- 
cerned in  it  than  you  think.  I  told  you  once  before- 
that  Draconmeyer  was  something  more  than  the 
great  banker,  the  king  of  commerce,  as  he  calls  him- 
self. He  is  ambitious  beyond  your  imaginings,  a 
schemer  in  ways  you  know  nothing  of,  and  his  resi- 
dence in  London  during  the  last  fifteen  years  has 
been  the  worst  thing  that  ever  happened  for  England. 
To  me  it  is  a  bitter  thing  that  you  should  have  ig- 
nored my  warning  and  accepted  his  friendship  — " 

"  It  is  not  Mr.  Draconmeyer  who  is  my  friend, 
Henry,"  she  interrupted.  "  You  continually  ignore 
that  fact.  It  is  Mrs.  Draconmeyer  whom  I  cannot 
desert.  I  knew  her  long  before  I  did  her  husband. 
We  were  at  school  together,  and  there  was  a  time 
before  her  last  illness  when  we  were  inseparable." 

"  That  may  have  been  so  at  first,"  Hunterleys 
agreed,  "  but  how  about  since  then  ?  You  cannot 
deny,  Violet,  that  this  man  Draconmeyer  has  in  some 


38          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

way  impressed  or  fascinated  you.  You  admire  him. 
You  find  great  pleasure  in  his  society.  Isn't  that  the 
truth,  now,  honestly?  " 

Her  face  was  a  little  troubled. 

"  I  do  certainly  find  pleasure  in  his  society,"  she 
admitted.  "  I  cannot  conceive  any  one  who  would 
not.  He  is  a  brilliant,  a  wonderful  musician,  a  de- 
lightful talker,  a  generous  host  and  companion.  He 
has  treated  me  always  with  the  most  scrupulous  re- 
gard, and  I  feel  that  I  am  entirely  reasonable  in  re- 
senting your  mistrust  of  him." 

"  You  do  resent  it  still,  then?  " 

*'  I  do,"  she  asserted  emphatically. 

"  And  if  I  told  you,"  Hunterleys  went  on,  "  that 
the  man  was  in  love  with  you.  What  then?  " 

"  I  should  say  that  you  were  a  fool ! " 

Hunterleys  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  There  is  no  more  to  be  said,"  he  declared,  "  only, 
for  a  clever  woman,  Violet,  you  are  sometimes  woe- 
fully or  wilfully  blind.  I  tell  you  that  I  know  the 
type.  Sooner  or  later  —  before  very  long,  I  should 
think  —  you  will  have  the  usual  scene.  I  warn  you 
of  it  now.  If  you  are  wise,  you  will  go  back  to  Eng- 
land." 

"  Absurd !  "  she  scoffed.  "  Why,  we  have  only 
just  come!  I  want  to  win  some  money  —  not  that 
your  allowance  isn't  liberal  enough,"  she  added  has- 
tily, "  but  there  is  a  fascination  in  winning,  you 
Jcnow.  And  besides,  I  could  not  possibly  desert  Mrs. 
Draconmeyer.  She  would  not  have  come  at  all  if  I 
had  not  joined  them." 

"  You  are  the  mistress  of  your  own  ways,"  Hun- 
*terleys  said.  "  According  to  my  promise,  I  shall  at- 


A  WARNING  39 

tempt  to  exercise  no  authority  over  you  in  any  way, 
but  I  tell  you  that  Draconmeyer  is  my  enemy,  and 
the  enemy  of  all  the  things  I  represent,  and  I  tell 
you,  too,  that  he  is  in  love  with  you.  When  you 
realise  that  these  things  are  firmly  established  in  my 
brain,  you  can  perhaps  understand  how  thoroughly 
distasteful  I  find  your  association  with  him  here. 
It  is  all  very  well  to  talk  about  Mrs.  Draconmeyer, 
but  she  goes  nowhere.  The  consequence  is  that  he 
is  your  escort  on  every  occasion.  I  am  quite  aware 
that  a  great  many  people  in  society  accept  him.  I 
personally  am  not  disposed  to.  I  look  upon  him  as 
an  unfit  companion  for  my  wife  and  I  resent  your 
appearance  with  him  in  public." 

"  We  will  discuss  this  subject  no  further,"  she  de- 
cided. "  From  the  moment  of  our  first  disagreement, 
it  has  been  your  object  to  break  off  my  friendship 
with  the  Draconmeyers.  Until  I  have  something 
more  than  words  to  go  by,  I  shall  continue  to  give 
him  my  confidence." 

They  crossed  the  stone  flags  in  front  of  the  Opera 
together,  and  turned  up  towards  the  Rooms. 

"  I  think,  perhaps,  then,"  he  said,  "  that  we  may 
consider  the  subject  closed.  Only,"  he  added,  "you 
will  forgive  me  if  I  still  — " 

He  hesitated.  She  turned  her  head  quickly.  Her 
eyes  sought  his  but  unfortunately  he  was  looking 
straight  ahead  and  seeing  gloomy  things.  If  he  had 
happened  to  turn  at  that  moment,  he  might  have  con- 
cluded his  speech  differently. 

"  If  I  still  exhibit  some  interest  in  your  doings." 

"  I  shall  always  think  it  most  kind  of  you,"  she 
replied,  her  face  suddenly  hardening.  "  Have  I  not 


40          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

done  my  best  to  reciprocate  ?  I  have  even  passed  on 
to  you  a  word  of  warning,  which  I  think  you  are 
very  unwise  to  ignore." 

They  were  outside  the  hotel.     Hunterleys  paused. 

"  I  have  nothing  to  fear  from  the  mysterious 
source  you  have  spoken  of,"  he  assured  her.  "  The 
only  enemy  I  have  in  Monte  Carlo  is  Draconmeyer 
himself." 

"  Enemy !  "  she  repeated  scornfully.  "  Mr.  Dra- 
conmeyer is  much  too  wrapped  up  in  his  finance,  and 
too  big  a  man,  in  his  way,  to  have  enemies.  Oh, 
Henry,  if  only  you  could  get  rid  of  a  few  of  your 
prejudices,  how  much  more  civilised  a  human  being 
you  would  be !  " 

He  raised  his  hat.  His  expression  was  a  little 
grim. 

"  The  man  without  prejudices,  my  dear  Violet," 
he  retorted,  "  is  a  man  without  instincts.  ...  I  wish 
you  luck." 

She  ran  lightly  up  the  steps  and  waved  her  hand. 
He  watched  her  pass  through  the  doors  into  the 
hotel. 


CHAPTER  IV 

ENTER    THE    AMERICAN 

Lady  Weybourne  was  lunching  on  the  terrace  of 
Giro's  restaurant  with  her  brother.  She  was  small, 
dark,  vivacious.  Her  friends,  of  whom  she  had 
thousands,  all  called  her  Flossie,  and  she  was  prob- 
ably the  most  popular  American  woman  who  had 
ever  married  into  the  English  peerage.  Her 
brother,  Richard  Lane,  on  the  other  hand,  was  tall, 
very  broad-shouldered,  with  a  strong,  clean-shaven 
face,  inclined  by  disposition  to  be  taciturn.  On  this 
particular  morning  he  had  less  even  than  usual  to 
say,  and  although  Lady  Weybourne,  who  was  a 
great  chatterbox,  was  content  as  a  rule  to  do  most 
of  the  talking  for  herself,  his  inattention  became  at 
last  a  little  too  obvious.  He  glanced  up  eagerly  as 
every  newcomer  appeared,  and  his  answers  to  his 
sister's  criticisms  were  sometimes  almost  at  random. 

"  Dicky,  I'm  not  at  all  sure  that  I'm  liking  you 
this  morning,"  she  observed  finally,  looking  across 
at  him  with  a  critically  questioning  smile.  "  A  cer- 
tain amount  of  non-responsiveness  to  my  advances 
I  can  put  up  with  —  from  a  brother  —  but  this 
morning  you  are  positively  inattentive.  Tell  me 
your  troubles  at  once.  Has  Harris  been  bothering 
you,  or  did  you  lose  a  lot  of  money  last  night?  " 

Considering  that  the  young  man's  income  was  de- 


42         MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

rived  from  an  exceedingly  well-invested  capital  of 
nine  million  dollars,  and  that  Harris  was  the  all  too 
perfect  captain  of  his  yacht  lying  then  in  the  har- 
bour, whose  worst  complaint  was  that  he  had  never 
enough  work  to  do,  Lady  Weybourne's  enquiries 
might  have  been  considered  as  merely  tentative. 
Richard  shook  his  head  a  little  gloomily. 

"  Those  things  aren't  likely  to  trouble  me,"  he  re- 
marked. "  Harris  is  all  right,  and  I've  promised 
him  we'll  make  up  a  little  party  and  go  over  to 
Cannes  in  a  day  or  two." 

"  What  a  ripping  idea ! "  Lady  Weybourne  de- 
clared, breaking  up  her  thin  toast  between  her  fin- 
gers. "  I'd  love  it,  and  so  would  Harry.  We  could 
easily  get  together  a  delightful  party.  The  Pel- 
hams  are  here  and  simply  dying  for  a  change,  and 
there's  Captain  Gardner  and  Frank  Clowes,  and  lots 
of  nice  girls.  Couldn't  we  fix  a  date,  Dick?  " 

"  Not  just  yet,"  her  brother  replied. 

"And  why  not?" 

"  I  am  waiting,"  he  told  her,  "  until  I  can  ask  the 
girl  I  want  to  go." 

"  And  why  can't  you  now  ?  "  she  demanded,  with 
upraised  eyebrows.  "  I'll  be  hostess  and  chaperone 
all  in  one." 

"  I  can't  ask  her  because  I  don't  know  her  yet," 
the  young  man  explained  doggedly. 

Lady  Weybourne  leaned  back  in  her  chair  and 
laughed. 

"  So  that's  it ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  Now  I  know 
why  you're  sitting  there  like  an  owl  this  morning! 
In  love  with  a  fair  unknown,  are  you,  Dick?  Be 
careful.  Monte  Carlo  is  full  of  young  ladies  whom 


ENTER  THE  AMERICAN  43 

it  would  be  just  as  well  to  know  a  little  about  before 
you  thought  of  taking  them  yachting." 

"  This  one  isn't  that  sort,"  the  young  man  said. 

"  How  do  you  know  that? "  she  asked,  leaning 
across  the  table,  her  head  resting  on  her  clasped 
hands. 

He  looked  at  her  almost  contemptuously. 

'*  How  do  I  know ! "  he  repeated.  "  There  are 
just  one  or  two  things  that  happen  in  this  world 
which  a  man  can  be  utterly  and  entirely  sure  of. 
She  is  one  of  them.  Say,  Flossie,"  he  added,  the 
enthusiasm  creeping  at  last  into  his  tone,  "  you 
never  saw  any  one  quite  like  her  in  all  your  life ! " 

"  Do  I  know  her,  I  wonder  ?  "  Lady  Weybourne 
enquired. 

"  That's  just  what  I've  asked  you  here  to  find 
out,"  her  brother  replied  ingenuously.  "  I  heard 
her  tell  the  man  she  was  with  this  morning  —  her 
father,  I  believe  —  about  an  hour  ago,  that  she 
would  be  at  Giro's  at  half-past  one.  It's  twenty 
minutes  to  two  now." 

Lady  Weybourne  laughed  heartily. 

"  So  that's  why  you  dragged  me  out  of  bed  and 
made  me  come  to  lunch  with  you!  Dick,  what  a 
fraud  you  are!  I  was  thinking  what  a  dear,  affec- 
tionate brother  you  were,  and  all  the  time  you  were 
just  making  use  of  me." 

"  Sorry,"  the  young  man  said  briskly,  "  but,  after 
all,  we  needn't  stand  on  ceremony,  need  we?  I've 
always  been  your  pal;  gave  you  a  leg  up  with  the 
old  man,  you  know,  when  he  wasn't  keen  on  the  Brit- 
ish alliance." 

She  nodded. 


44          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Oh,  I'll  do  what  I  can  for  you,"  she  promised. 
**  If  she  is  any  one  in  particular  I  expect  I  shall 
know  her.  What's  happening,  Dick?  " 

The  young  man's  face  was  almost  transformed. 
His  eyes  were  bright  and  very  fixed.  His  lips  had 
come  together  in  a  firm,  straight  line,  as  though  he 
were  renewing  some  promise  to  himself.  Lady  Wey- 
bourne  followed  the  direction  of  his  gaze.  A  man 
and  a  girl  had  reached  the  entrance  to  the  restaurant 
and  were  looking  around  them  as  though  to  select 
a  table.  The  chief  maitre  d'hotel  had  hastened  out 
to  receive  them.  They  were,  without  doubt,  people 
of  importance.  The  man  was  of  medium  height, 
with  iron-grey  hair  and  moustache,  and  a  small  im- 
perial. He  wore  light  clothes  of  perfect  cut ;  pateiit 
shoes  with  white  linen  gaiters ;  a  black  tie  fastened 
•with  a  pin  of  opals.  He  carried  himself  with  an  air 
which  was  unmistakable  and  convincing.  The  girl 
by  his  side  was  beautiful.  She  was  simply  dressed 
in  a  tailor-made  gown  of  white  serge.  Her  black 
hat  was  a  miracle  of  smartness.  Her  hair  was  of  a 
very  light  shade  of  golden-brown,  her  complexion 
wonderfully  fair.  Lady  Weybourne  glanced  at  her 
shoes  and  gloves,  at  the  bag  which  she  was  carrying, 
and  the  handle  of  her  parasol.  Then  she  nodded 
approvingly. 

"  You  don't  know  her?  "  Richard  asked,  in  a  dis- 
appointed whisper. 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  Sorry,"  she  admitted,  "  but  I  don't.  They've 
probably  only  just  arrived." 

With  great  ceremony  the  newcomers  were  con- 
ducted to  the  best  table  upon  the  terrace.  The 


ENTER  THE  AMERICAN  45 

was  evidently  an  habitue.  He  had  scarcely  taken 
his  seat  before,  with  a  very  low  bow,  the  sommelier 
brought  him  a  small  wine-glass  filled  with  what 
seemed  to  be  vermouth.  While  he  sipped  it  he 
smoked  a  Russian  cigarette  and  with  a  gold  pencil 
wrote  out  the  menu  of  his  luncheon.  In  a  few  min- 
utes the  manager  himself  came  hurrying  out  from 
the  restaurant.  His  salute  was  almost  reverential. 
When,  after  a  few  moments'  conversation,  he  de- 
parted, he  did  so  with  the  air  of  one  taking  leave  of 
royalty.  Lady  Weybourne,  who  was  an  inquisitive 
little  person,  was  puzzled. 

"  I  don't  know  who  they  are,  Dick,"  she  con- 
fessed, "  but  I  know  the  ways  of  this  place  well,  and 
I  can  tell  you  one  thing  —  they  are  people  of  impor- 
tance. You  can  tell  that  by  the  way  they  are  re- 
ceived. These  restaurant  people  don't  make  mis- 
takes." 

"  Of  course  they  are  people  of  importance,"  the 
young  man  declared.  "  Any  one  can  see  that  by  a 
glance  at  the  girl.  I  am  sorry  you  don't  know 
them,"  he  went  on,  "  but  you've  got  to  find  out  who 
they  are,  and  pretty  quickly,  too.  Look  here,  Flos- 
sie. I  am  a  bit  useful  to  you  now  and  then, 
aren't  I?" 

"  Without  you,  my  dear  Dick,"  she  murmured, 
"  I  should  never  be  able  to  manage  those  awful 
trustees.  You  are  invaluable,  a  perfect  jewel  of  a 
brother." 

"  Well,  I'll  give  you  that  little  electric  coupe  you 
were  so  keen  on  last  time  we  were  in  London,  if  you'll 
get  me  an  introduction  to  that  girl  within  twenty- 
four  hoursb" 


46         MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Lady  Weybourne  gasped. 

"  What  a  whirlwind !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Dicky, 
are  you,  by  any  chance,  in  earnest?  " 

"  In  earnest  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,"  he  as- 
sured her.  "  Something  has  got  hold  of  me  which 
I'm  not  going  to  part  with." 

She  considered  him  reflectively.  He  was  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age,  and  notwithstanding  the  bound- 
less opportunities  of  his  youth  and  great  wealth  he 
had  so  far  shown  an  almost  singular  indifference  to 
the  whole  of  the  opposite  sex,  from  the  fascinating 
chorus  girls  of  London  and  New  York  to  the  no  less 
enterprising  young  women  of  his  own  order.  As 
she  sat  there  studying  his  features,  she  felt  a  sensa- 
tion almost  of  awe.  There  was  something  entirely 
different,  something  stronger  in  his  face.  She 
thought  for  a  moment  of  their  father  as  she  had 
known  him  in  her  childhood,  the  founder  of  their 
fortunes,  a  man  who  had  risen  from  a  moderate  po- 
sition to  immense  wealth  through  sheer  force  of  will, 
of  pertinacity.  For  the  first  time  she  saw  the  same 
look  upon  her  brother's  face. 

"  Well,"  she  sighed,  "  I  shall  do  my  best  to  earn 
it.  I  only  hope,  Dick,  that  she  is  — " 

"  She  is  what?  "  he  demanded,  looking  at  her 
steadfastly. 

"  Oh !  not  engaged  or  anything,  I  mean,"  Lady 
Weybourne  explained  hastily.  "  I  must  admit, 
Dick,  although  I  don't  suppose  any  sister  is  particu- 
larly keen  upon  her  brother's  young  women,  that  I 
think  you've  shown  excellent  taste.  She  is  abso- 
lutely the  best  style  of  any  one  I've  seen  in  Monte 
Carlo." 


ENTER  THE  AMERICAN  47 

'*  How  are  you  going  to  manage  that  introduc- 
tion? "  he  asked  bluntly.  "  Have  you  made  any 
plans?" 

"  I  don't  suppose  it  will  be  difficult,"  she  assured 
him,  lighting  a  cigarette  and  shaking  her  head  at  the 
tray  of  liqueurs  which  the  sommelier  was  offering. 
"  Get  me  some  cream  for  my  coffee,  Dick.  Now 
I'll  tell  you,"  she  continued,  as  the  waiter  disap- 
peared. "  You  will  have  to  call  that  under-maitre 
d'hotel.  You  had  better  give  him  a  substantial  tip 
and  ask  him  quietly  for  their  names.  Then  I'll  see 
about  the  rest." 

"  That  seems  sensible  enough,"  he  admitted. 

"  And  look  here,  Dick,"  she  went  on,  "  I  know  how 
impetuous  you  are.  Don't  do  anything  foolish. 
Remember  this  isn't  an  ordinary  adventure.  If  you 
go  rushing  in  upon  it  you'll  come  to  grief." 

"  I  know,"  he  answered  shortly.  "  I  was  fool 
enough  to  hang  about  the  flower  shops  and  that  mil- 
liner's this  morning.  I  couldn't  help  it.  I  don't 
know  whether  she  noticed.  I  believe  she  did.  Once 
our  eyes  did  meet,  and  although  I'll  swear  she  never 
changed  her  expression,  I  felt  that  the  whole  world 
didn't  hold  so  small  a  creature  as  I.  Here  comes 
Charles.  I'll  ask  him." 

He  beckoned  to  the  maitre  d'hotel  and  talked  for 
a  moment  about  the  luncheon.  Then  he  ordered  a 
table  for  the  next  day,  and  slipping  a  louis  into  the 
man's  hand,  leaned  over  and  whispered  in  his  ear. 

"  I  want  you  to  tell  me  the  name  of  the  gentleman 
and  young  lady  who  are  sitting  over  there  at  the 
corner  table  ?  " 

The  maitre  d'hotel  glanced  covertly  in  the  direc- 


48         MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

tion  indicated.  He  did  not  at  once  reply.  His 
face  was  perplexed,  almost  troubled. 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  sir,"  he  said  hesitatingly,  "  but 
our  orders  are  very  strict.  Monsieur  Giro  does  not 
like  anything  in  the  way  of  gossip  about  our  clients, 
and  the  gentleman  is  a  very  honoured  patron.  The 
young  lady  is  his  daughter." 

"  Quite  right,"  the  young  man  agreed  bluntly. 
"  This  isn't  an  ordinary  case,  Charles.  You  go 
over  to  the  desk  there,  write  me  down  the  name  and 
bring  it,  and  there's  a  hundred  franc  note  waiting 
here  for  you.  No  need  for  the  name  to  pass  your 
lips." 

The  man  bowed  and  retreated.  In  a  few  minutes 
he  came  back  again  and  laid  a  small  card  upon  the 
table. 

"  Monsieur  will  pardon  my  reminding  him,"  he 
begged  earnestly,  "  but  if  he  will  be  so  good  as  to 
never  mention  this  little  matter — " 

Richard  nodded  and  waved  him  away. 

"  Sure !  "  he  promised. 

He  drew  the  card  towards  him  and  looked  at  it  in 
a  puzzled  manner.  Then  he  passed  it  to  his  sister. 
Her  expression,  too,  was  blank. 

"  Who  in  the  name  of  mischief,"  he  exclaimed 
softly,  "is  Mr.  Grex!" 


CHAPTER  V 

"WHO  is  MR.  GBEX?" 

Lady  Weybourne  insisted,  after  a  reasonable 
amount  of  time  spent  over  their  coffee,  that  her 
brother  should  pay  the  bill  and  leave  the  restaurant. 
They  walked  slowly  across  the  square. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  to  be  done,"  she  replied. 
"  I  shall  speak  to  every  one  I  meet  this  afternoon  — 
I  shall  be,  in  fact,  most  sociable  —  and  sooner  or 
later  in  our  conversation  I  shall  ask  every  one  if 
they  know  Mr.  Grex  and  his  daughter.  When  I 
arrive  at  some  one  who  does,  that  will  be  the  first 
step,  won't  it  ?  " 

"  I  wonder  whether  we  shall  see  some  one  soon ! " 
he  grumbled,  looking  around.  "  Where  are  all  the 
people  to-day ! " 

She  laughed  softly. 

"  Just  a  little  impetuous,  aren't  you  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  so,"  he  admitted.  **  I'd  like  to  be 
introduced  to  her  before  four  o'clock,  propose  to  her 
this  evening,  and  —  and  — " 

"And  what?" 

"  Never  mind,"  he  concluded,  marching  on  with 
his  head  turned  towards  the  clouds.  '*  Let's  go  and 
sit  down  upon  the  Terrace  and  talk  about  her." 

"  But,  my  dear  Dicky,"  his  sister  protested,  "  I 


50          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

don't  want  to  sit  upon  the  Terrace.  I  am  going  to 
my  dressmaker's  across  the  way  there,  and  after- 
wards to  Lucie's  to  try  on  some  hats.  Then  I  am 
going  back  to  the  hotel  for  an  hour's  rest  and  to 
prink,  and  afterwards  into  the  Sporting  Club  at 
four  o'clock.  That's  my  programme.  I  shall  be 
doing  what  I  can  the  whole  of  the  time.  I  shall 
make  discreet  enquiries  of  my  dressmaker,  who  knows 
everybody,  and  I  sha'n't  let  a  single  acquaintance 
go  by.  You  will  have  to  amuse  yourself  till  four 
o'clock,  at  any  rate.  There's  Sir  Henry  Hunterleys 
over  there,  having  coffee.  Go  and  talk  to  him.  He 
may  put  you  out  of  your  misery.  Thanks  ever  so 
much  for  my  luncheon,  and  au  revoir ! " 

She  turned  away  with  a  little  nod.  Her  brother, 
after  a  moment's  hesitation,  approached  the  table 
where  Hunterleys  was  sitting  alone. 

"  How  do  you  do,  Sir  Henry  ?  " 

Hunterleys  returned  his  greeting,  a  little  blankly 
at  first.  Then  he  remembered  the  young  man  and 
held  out  his  hand. 

"  Of  course !  You  are  Richard  Lane,  aren't  you  ? 
Sit  down  and  have  some  coffee.  What  are  you  do- 
ing here?  " 

"  I've  got  a  little  boat  in  the  harbour,"  Richard 
replied,  as  he  drew  up  a  chair.  "  I've  been  at  Al- 
giers for  a  time  with  some  friends,  and  I've  brought 
them  on  here.  Just  been  lunching  with  my  sister. 
Are  you  alone?  " 

Hunterleys  hesitated. 

"  Yes,  I  am  alone." 

"  Wonderful  place,"  the  young  man  went  on. 
"  Wonderful  crowd  of  people  here,  too.  I  suppose 


"WHO  IS  MR.  GREX?"  51 

you  know  everybody  ?  "  he  added,  warming  up  as  he 
approached  his  subject. 

"  On  the  contrary,"  Hunterleys  answered,  "  I  anr 
almost  a  stranger  here.  I  have  been  staying  fur- 
ther down  the  coast." 

"  Happen  to  know  any  one  of  the  name  of  Grex?  " 
Lane  asked,  with  elaborate  carelessness. 

Hunterleys  made  no  immediate  reply.  He  seemed 
to  be  considering  the  name. 

"  Grex,"  he  repeated,  knocking  the  ash  from  his 
cigarette.  "  Rather  an  uncommon  name,  isn't  it? 
Why  do  you  ask?  " 

"  Oh,  I've  seen  an  elderly  man  and  a  young  lady 
about  once  or  twice,"  Lane  explained.  "  Very  in- 
teresting-looking people.  Some  one  told  me  that 
their  name  was  Grex." 

"  There  is  a  person  living  under  that  name,  I 
think,"  Hunterleys  said,  "  who  has  taken  the  Villa 
Mimosa  for  the  season." 

"  Do  you  know  him  personally  ?  "  the  young  man 
asked  eagerly. 

"  Personally  ?     No,  I  can  scarcely  say  that  I  do." 

Richard  Lane  sighed.  It  was  disappointment 
number  one.  For  some  reason  or  other,  too,  Hun- 
terleys seemed  disposed  to  change  the  conversation. 

"  The  young  lady  who  is  always  with  him,"  Rich- 
ard persisted,  "  would  that  be  his  daughter?  " 

Hunterleys  turned  a  little  in  his  seat  and  surveyed 
his  questioner.  He  had  met  Lane  once  or  twice  and 
rather  liked  him. 

"  Look  here,  young  fellow,"  he  said,  good  humour- 
edly,  "  let  me  ask  you  a  question  for  a  change. 
What  is  the  nature  of  these  enquiries  of  yours?  " 


52          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Lane  hesitated.  Something  in  Hunterleys'  face 
and  manner  induced  him  to  tell  the  truth. 

"  I  have  fallen  head  over  heels  in  love  with  the 
young  lady,"  he  confessed.  "  Don't  think  I  am  a 
confounded  jackass.  I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  doing 
such  things.  I'm  twenty-seven  and  I  have  never 
gone  out  of  my  way  to  meet  a  girl  yet.  This  is 
something  —  different.  I  want  to  find  out  about 
them  and  get  an  introduction.'* 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head  regretfully. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  he  said,  "  that  I  can  be  of  no  use 
to  you  —  no  practical  use,  that  is.  I  can  only  give 
you  one  little  piece  of  advice." 

"  Well,  what  is  it  ?  "  Richard  asked  eagerly. 

"  If  you  are  in  earnest,"  Hunterleys  continued, 
"  and  I  will  do  you  the  credit  to  believe  that  you  are, 
you  had  better  pack  up  your  things,  return  to  your 
yacht  and  take  a  cruise  somewhere." 

"  Take  a  cruise  somewhere !  " 

Hunterleys  nodded. 

"  Get  out  of  Monte  Carlo  as  quickly  as  you  can, 
and,  above  all,  don't  think  anything  more  of  that 
young  lady.  Get  the  idea  out  of  your  head  as 
quickly  as  you  can." 

The  young  man  was  sitting  upright  in  his  chair. 
His  manner  was  half  minatory. 

"  Say,  what  do  you  mean  by  this  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  Exactly  what  I  said  just  now,"  Hunterleys  re- 
joined. "  If  you  are  in  earnest,  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  you  are,  I  should  clear  out." 

"  What  is  it  you  are  trying  to  make  me  under- 
stand ?  "  Richard  asked  bluntly. 
,    "  That  you  have  about  as  much  chance  with  that 


"WHO  IS  MR.  GREX?"  53 

young  lady,"  Hunterleys  assured  him,  "  as  with  that 
very  graceful  statue  in  the  square  yonder." 

Richard  sat  for  a  moment  with  knitted  brows. 

"  Then  you  know  who  she  is,  any  way  ?  " 

"  Whether  I  do  or  whether  I  do  not,"  the  older 
man  said  gravely,  "  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  the 
subject  is  exhausted.  I  have  given  you  the  best  ad- 
vice you  ever  had  in  your  life.  It's  up  to  you  to 
follow  it." 

Richard  looked  at  him  blankly. 

"  Well,  you've  got  me  puzzled,"  he  confessed. 

Hunterleys  rose  to  his  feet,  and,  summoning  a 
waiter,  paid  his  bill. 

"  You'll  excuse  me,  won't  you  ?  "  he  begged.  "  I 
have  an  appointment  in  a  few  minutes.  If  you  are 
wise,  young  man,"  he  added,  patting  him  on  the 
shoulder  as  he  turned  to  go,  "  you  will  take  my  ad- 
vice." 

Left  to  himself,  Richard  Lane  strolled  around  the 
place  towards  the  Terrace.  He  had  no  fancy  for 
the  Rooms  and  he  found  a  seat  as  far  removed  as 
possible  from  the  Tir  du  Pigeons.  He  sat  there 
with  folded  arms,  looking  out  across  the  sun-dappled 
sea.  His  matter-of-fact  brain  offered  him  but  one 
explanation  as  to  the  meaning  of  Hunterleys'  words, 
and  against  that  explanation  his  whole  being  was 
in  passionate  revolt.  He  represented  a  type  of 
young  man  who  possesses  morals  by  reason  of  a  cer- 
tain unsuspected  idealism,  mingled  with  perfect 
physical  sanity.  It  seemed  to  him,  as  he  sat  there, 
that  he  had  been  waiting  for  this  day  for  years. 
The  old  nights  in  New  York  and  Paris  and  London 
floated  before  his  memory.  He  pushed  them  on  one 


54          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

side  with  a  shiver,  and  yet  with  a  curious  feeling  of 
exultation.  He  recalled  a  certain  sensation  which 
had  been  drawn  through  his  life  like  a  thin  golden 
thread,  a  sensation  which  had  a  habit  of  especially 
asserting  itself  in  the  midst  of  these  youthful  orgies, 
a  curious  sense  of  waiting  for  something  to  happen, 
a  sensation  which  had  been  responsible  very  often 
for  what  his  friends  had  looked  upon  as  eccentricity. 
He  knew  now  that  this  thing  had  arrived,  and  every- 
thing else  in  life  seemed  to  pale  by  the  side  of  it. 
Hunterleys'  words  had  thrown  him  temporarily  into 
a  strange  turmoil.  Solitude  for  a  few  moments  he 
had  felt  to  be  entirely  necessary.  Yet  directly  he 
was  alone,  directly  he  was  free  to  listen  to  his  con- 
victions, he  could  have  laughed  at  that  first  mad 
surging  of  his  blood,  the  fierce,  instinctive  rebellion 
against  the  conclusion  to  which  Hunterleys'  words 
seemed  to  point.  Now  that  he  was  alone,  he  was 
not  even  angry.  No  one  else  could  possibly  under- 
stand ! 

Before  long  he  was  once  more  upon  his  feet,  start- 
ing out  upon  his  quest  with  renewed  energy.  He 
had  scarcely  taken  a  dozen  steps,  however,  when  he 
came  face  to  face  with  Lady  Hunterleys  and  Mr. 
Draconmeyer.  Quite  oblivious  of  the  fact  that  they 
seemed  inclined  to  avoid  him,  he  greeted  them  both 
with  unusual  warmth. 

"  Saw  your  husband  just  now,  Lady  Hunterleys," 
he  remarked,  a  little  puzzled.  "  I  fancied  he  said 
he  was  alone  here." 

She  smiled. 

"  We  did  not  come  together,"  she  explained ;  "  in 
fact,  our  meeting  was  almost  accidental.  Henry 


"WHO  IS  MR.  GREX?"  55 

had  been  at  Bordighera  and  San  Rerao  and  I  came 
out  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Draconmeyer." 

The  young  man  nodded  and  turned  towards  Dra- 
conmeyer, who  was  standing  a  little  on  one  side  as 
though  anxious  to  proceed. 

"  Mr.  Draconmeyer  doesn't  remember  me,  per- 
haps. I  met  him  at  my  sister's,  Lady  Weybourne's, 
just  before  Christmas." 

"  I  remember  you  perfectly,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer 
assured  him  courteously.  "  We  have  all  been 
admiring  your  beautiful  yacht  in  the  harbour 
there." 

"  I  was  thinking  of  getting  up  a  little  cruise  be- 
fore long,"  Richard  continued.  "  If  so,  I  hope 
you'll  all  join  us.  Flossie  is  going  to  be  hostess, 
and  the  Montressors  are  passengers  already." 

They  murmured  something  non-committal.  Lady 
Hunterleys  seemed  as  though  about  to  pass  on  but 
Lane  blocked  the  way. 

"  I  only  arrived  the  other  day  from  Algiers,"  he 
went  on,  making  frantic  efforts  to  continue  the  con- 
versation. "  I  brought  Freddy  Montressor  and  his 
sister,  and  Fothergill." 

"  Mr.  Montressor  has  come  to  the  Hotel  de  Paris," 
Lady  Hunterleys  remarked.  "  What  sort  of  weather 
did  you  have  in  Algiers  ?  " 

"Ripping!"  the  young  man  replied  absently,  en- 
tirely oblivious  of  the  fact  that  they  had  been  driven 
away  by  incessant  rain.  "  This  place  is  much  more 
fun,  though,"  he  added,  with  sudden  inspiration. 
"  Crowds  of  interesting  people.  I  suppose  you  know 
every  one  ?  " 

Lady  Hunterleys  shook  her  head. 


56          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Indeed  I  do  not.  Mr.  Draconmeyer  here  is  my 
guide.  He  is  as  good  as  a  walking  directory." 

"  I  wonder  if  either  of  you  know  some  people 
named  Grex?  "  Richard  asked,  with  studious  indiffer- 
ence. 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  for  the  first  time  showed  some 
signs  of  interest.  He  looked  at  their  questioner 
steadfastly. 

"  Grex,"  he  repeated.  "  A  very  uncommon 
name." 

"  Very  uncommon-looking  people,"  Richard  de- 
clared. "  The  man  is  elderly,  and  looks  as  though 
he  took  great  care  of  himself  —  awfully  well  turned 
out  and  all  that.  The  daughter  is  —  good-look- 
ing." 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  took  off  his  gold-rimmed  spec- 
tacles and  rubbed  them  with  his  handkerchief. 

"  Why  do  you  ask?  "  he  enquired.  "  Is  this  just 
curiosity?  " 

"  Rather  more  than  that,"  Richard  said  boldly. 
"  It's  interest." 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  readjusted  his  spectacles. 

"  Mr.  Grex,"  he  announced,  "  is  a  gentleman  of 
great  wealth  and  illustrious  birth,  who  has  taken  a 
very  magnificent  villa  and  desires  for  a  time  to  lead  a 
life  of  seclusion.  That  is  as  much  as  I  or  any  one 
else  knows." 

"What  about  the  young  lady?"  Richard  per- 
sisted. 

"  The  young  lady,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer  answered, 
"  is,  as  you  surmised,  his  daughter.  .  .  .  Shall  we 
finish  our  promenade,  Lady  Hunterleys  ?  " 

Richard  stood  grudgingly  a  little  on  one  side. 


"WHO  IS  MR.  GREX?"  57 

"  Mr.  Draconmeyer,"  he  said  desperately,  "  do 
you  think  there'd  be  any  chance  of  my  getting  an 
introduction  to  the  young  lady  ?  " 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  at  first  smiled  and  then  began  to 
laugh,  as  though  something  in  the  idea  tickled  him. 
He  looked  at  the  young  man  and  Richard  hated  him. 

"  Not  the  slightest  in  the  world,  I  should  think," 
he  declared.  "  Good  afternoon !  " 

Lady  Hunterleys  joined  in  her  companion's  amuse- 
ment as  they  continued  their  promenade. 

*'  Is  the  young  man  in  love,  do  you  suppose  ?  "  she 
enquired  lightly. 

"  If  so,"  her  companion  replied,  "  he  has  made  a 
somewhat  unfortunate  choice.  However,  it  really 
doesn't  matter.  Love  at  his  age  is  nothing  more 
than  a  mood.  It  will  pass  as  all  moods  pass." 

She  turned  and  looked  at  him. 

"  Do  you  mean,"  she  asked  incredulously,  "  that 
youth  is  incapable  of  love?  " 

They  had  paused  for  a  moment,  looking  out  across 
the  bay  towards  the  glittering  white  front  of  Bordi- 
ghera.  Mr.  Draconmeyer  took  off  his  hat.  Some- 
how, without  it,  in  that  clear  light,  one  realised,  not- 
withstanding his  spectacles,  his  grizzled  black  beard 
of  unfashionable  shape,  his  over-massive  forehead 
and  shaggy  eyebrows,  that  his,  too,  was  the  face  of 
one  whose  feet  were  not  always  upon  the  earth. 

"  Perhaps,"  he  answered,  "  it  is  a  matter  of  de- 
gree, yet  I  am  almost  tempted  to  answer  your  ques- 
tion absolutely.  I  do  not  believe  that  youth  can 
love,  because  from  the  first  it  misapprehends  the 
meaning  of  the  term.  I  believe  that  the  gift  of  lov- 
ing comes  only  to  those  who  have  reached  the  hills." 


58          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

She  looked  at  him,  a  little  surprised.  Always 
thoughtful,  always  sympathetic,  generally  stimulat- 
ing, it  was  very  seldom  that  she  had  heard  him  speak 
with  so  much  real  feeling.  Suddenly  he  turned  his 
head  from  the  sea.  His  eyes  seemed  to  challenge 
hers. 

"  Your  question,"  he  continued,  "  touches  upon 
one  of  the  great  tragedies  of  life.  Upon  those  who 
are  free  from  their  youth  there  is  a  great  tax  levied. 
Nature  has  decreed  that  they  should  feel  something 
which  they  call  love.  They  marry,  and  in  this  small 
world  of  ours  they  give  a  hostage  as  heavy  as  a  mill- 
stone of  their  chances  of  happiness.  For  it  is  only 
in  later  life,  when  a  man  has  knowledge  as  well  as 
passion,  when  unless  he  is  fortunate  it  is  too  late, 
that  he  can  know  what  love  is." 

She  moved  a  little  uneasily.  She  felt  that  some- 
thing was  coming  which  she  desired  to  avoid,  some 
confidence,  something  from  which  she  must  escape. 
The  memory  of  her  husband's  warning  was  vividly 
present  with  her.  She  felt  the  magnetism  of  her 
companion's  words,  his  compelling  gaze. 

"  It  is  so  with  me,"  he  went  on,  leaning  a  little 
towards  her,  "  only  in  my  case  — " 

Providence  was  intervening.  Never  had  the  swish 
)f  a  woman's  skirt  sounded  so  sweet  to  her  before. 

"  Here's  Dolly  Montressor,"  she  interrupted, 
"  coming  up  to  speak  to  us." 


CHAPTER  YI 

CAKES    AND    COUNSELS 

The  Sporting  Club  seemed  to  fill  up  that  after- 
noon almost  as  soon  as  the  doors  were  opened.  At 
half-past  four,  people  were  standing  two  or  three 
deep  around  the  roulette  tables.  Selingman,  very 
warm,  and  looking  somewhat  annoyed,  withdrew  him- 
self from  the  front  row  of  the  lower  table,  and  tak- 
ing Mr.  Grex  and  Draconmeyer  by  the  arm,  led 
them  towards  the  tea-room. 

"  I  have  lost  six  louis ! "  he  exclaimed,  fretfully. 
"  I  have  had  the  devil's  own  luck.  I  shall  play  no 
more  for  the  present.  We  will  have  tea  together." 

They  appropriated  a  round  table  in  a  distant  cor- 
ner of  the  restaurant. 

"  History,"  Selingman  continued,  heaping  his 
plate  with  rich  cakes,  "  has  been  made  before  now  in 
strange  places.  Why  not  here?  We  sit  here  in 
close  touch  with  one  of  the  most  interesting  phases 
of  modern  life.  We  can  even  hear  the  voice  of  fate, 
the  click  of  the  little  ball  as  it  finishes  its  momentous 
journey  and  sinks  to  rest.  Why  should  we,  too,  not 
speak  of  fateful  things  ?  " 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  glanced  around. 

"  For  myself,"  he  muttered,  "  I  must  say  that  I 
prefer  a  smaller  room  and  a  locked  door." 


60         MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Selingman  demolished  a  chocolate  eclair  and  shook 
his  head  vigorously. 

"  The  public  places  for  me,"  he  declared.  "  Now 
look  around.  There  is  no  one,  as  you  will  admit, 
within  ear-shot.  Very  well.  What  will  they  say, 
those  who  suspect  us,  if  they  see  us  drinking  tea  and 
eating  many  cakes  together?  Certainly  not  that 
we  conspire,  that  we  make  mischief  here.  On  the 
other  hand,  they  will  say  *  There  are  three  great  men 
at  play,  come  to  Monte  Carlo  to  rest  from  their  la- 
bours, to  throw  aside  for  a  time  the  burden  froim 
their  shoulders;  to  flirt,  to  play,  to  eat  cakes.'  It 
is  a  good  place  to  talk,  this,  and  I  have  something 
in  my  mind  which  must  be  said." 

Mr.  Grex  sipped  his  pale,  lemon-flavoured  tea  and 
toyed  with  his  cigarette-case.  He  was  eating  noth- 
ing. 

"  Assuming  you  to  be  a  man  of  sense,  my  dear 
Selingman,"  he  remarked,  "  I  think  that  what  you 
have  to  say  is  easily  surmised.  The  Englishman ! " 

Selingman  agreed  with  ponderous  emphasis. 

"  We  have  before  us,"  he  declared,  "  a  task  of  un- 
usual delicacy.  Our  friend  from  Paris  may  be  here 
at  any  moment.  How  we  shall  fare  with  him,  heaven 
only  knows !  But  there  is  one  thing  very  certain. 
At  the  sight  of  Hunterleys  he  will  take  alarm.  He 
will  be  like  a  frightened  bird,  all  ruffled  feathers. 
He  will  never  settle  down  to  a  serious  discussion. 
Hunterleys  knows  this.  That  is  why  he  presents 
himself  without  reserve  in  public,  why  he  is  sur- 
rounded with  Secret  Service  men  of  his  own  country, 
all  on  the  qui  vive  for  the  coming  of  Douaille." 

"  It  appears  tolerably  certain,"  Mr.  Draconmeycr 


CAKES  AND  COUNSELS  61 

said  calmly,  "  that  we  must  get  rid  of  Hunter- 
leys." 

Mr.  Grex  looked  out  of  the  window  for  a  moment. 

"  To  some  extent,"  he  observed,  "  I  am  a  stranger 
here.  I  come  as  a  guest  to  this  conference,  as  our 
other  friend  from  Paris  comes,  too.  Any  small  task 
which  may  arise  from  the  necessities  of  the  situation, 
devolves,  I  think  I  may  say  without  unfairness,  upon 
you,  my  friend." 

Selingman  assented  gloomily. 

"  That  is  true,"  he  admitted,  "  but  in  Hunterleys 
we  have  to  do  with  no  ordinary  man.  He  does  not 
gamble.  To  the  ordinary  attractions  of  Monte 
Carlo  he  is  indifferent.  He  is  one  of  these  thin- 
blooded  men  with  principles.  Cromwell  would  have 
made  a  lay  preacher  of  him." 

"  You  find  difficulties  ?  "  Mr.  Grex  querieu,  with 
slightly  uplifted  eyebrows. 

"  Not  difficulties,"  Selingman  continued  quickly. 
"  Or  if  indeed  we  do  call  them  difficulties,  let  us  s&y 
at  once  that  they  are  very  minor  ones.  Only  the 
thing  must  be  done  neatly  and  without  ostentation, 
for  the  sake  of  our  friend  who  comes." 

"  My  own  position,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer  intervened, 
"  is,  in  a  way,  delicate.  The  unexplained  disappear- 
ance of  Sir  Henry  Hunterleys  might,  by  some  peo- 
ple, be  connected  with  the  great  friendship  which  ex- 
ists between  my  wife  and  his." 

Mr.  Grex  polished  his  horn-rimmed  eyeglass.  Sel- 
ingman nodded  sympathetically.  Neither  of  them 
looked  at  Draconmeyer.  Finally  Selingman  heaved 
a  sigh  and  brushed  the  crumbs  from  his  waistcoat. 

"  If  one  were  assured,"  he  *»urumred  thoughtfully, 


62          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  that  Hunterleys'  presence  here  had  a  real  signifi- 
cance — " 

Draconmeyer  pushed  his  chair  forward  and  leaned 
across  the  table.  The  heads  of  the  three  men  were 
close  together.  His  tone  was  stealthily  lowered. 

"  Let  me  tell  you  something,  my  friend  Selingman, 
which  I  think  should  strengthen  any  half-formed  in- 
tention you  may  have  in  your  brain.  Hunterleys  is 
no  ordinary  sojourner  here.  You  were  quite  right 
when  you  told  me  that  his  stay  at  Bordighera  and 
San  Remo  was  a  matter  of  days  only.  Now  I  will 
tell  you  something.  Three  weeks  ago  he  was  at 
Bukharest.  He  spent  two  days  with  Novisko.  From 
there  he  went  to  Sofia.  He  was  heard  of  in  Athens 
and  Constantinople.  My  own  agent  wrote  me  that 
he  was  in  Belgrade.  Hunterleys  is  the  bosom  friend 
of  the  English  Foreign  Secretary.  That  I  know  for 
myself.  You  have  your  reports.  You  can  read  be- 
tween the  lines.  I  tell  you  that  Hunterleys  is  the 
man  who  has  paralysed  our  action  amongst  the  Bal- 
kan States.  He  has  played  a  neat  little  game  out 
there.  It  is  he  who  was  the  inspiration  of  Rouma- 
nia.  It  is  he  who  drafted  the  secret  understanding 
with  Turkey.  The  war  which  we  hoped  for  will  not 
take  place.  From  there  Hunterleys  came  in  a  gun- 
boat and  landed  on  the  Italian  coast.  He  lingered 
at  Bordighera  for  appearances  only.  He  is  here,  if 
he  can,  to  break  up  our  conference.  I  tell  you  that 
you  none  of  you  appreciate  this  man.  Hunterleys  is 
the  most  dangerous  Englishman  living — " 

"  One  moment,"  Selingman  interrupted.  "  To 
some  extent  I  follow  you,  but  when  you  speak  of 
Hunterleys  as  a  power  in  the  present  tense,  doesn't  if 


CAKES  AND  COUNSELS  63 

•ccur  to  you  that  his  Party  is  not  in  office?  He  is 
simply  a  member  of  the  Opposition.  If  his  Party 
get  in  again  at  the  next  election,  I  grant  you  that 
he  will  be  Foreign  Minister  and  a  dangerous  one,  but 
to-day  he  is  simply  a  private  person." 

"  It  is  not  every  one,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer  said 
slowly,  "  who  bows  his  knee  to  the  shibboleth  of 
party  politics.  Remember  that  I  come  to  you  from 
London  and  I  have  information  of  which  few  others 
are  possessed.  Hunterleys  is  of  the  stuff  of  which  T 
patriots  are  made.  Party  is  no  concern  of  his. 
He  and  the  present  Foreign  Secretary  are  the 
greatest  of  personal  friends.  I  know  for  a  fact  that 
Hunterleys  has  actually  been  consulted  and  has 
helped  in  one  or  two  recent  crises.  The  very  cir- 
cumstance that  he  is  not  of  the  ruling  Party  makes 
a  free  lance  of  him.  When  his  people  are  in  power, 
he  will  have  to  take  office  and  wear  the  shackles. 
To-day,  with  every  quality  which  would  make  him 
the  greatest  Foreign  Minister  England  has  ever  had 
since  Disraeli,  he  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a 
roving  diplomatist,  Emperor  of  his  country's  Secret 
Service,  if  you  like  to  put  it  so.  Furthermore,  look 
a  little  into  that  future  of  which  I  have  spoken. 
The  present  English  Government  will  last,  at  the 
most,  another  two  years.  I  tell  you  that  when  they 
go  out  of  power,  whoever  comes  in,  Hunterleys  will 
go  to  the  Foreign  Office.  We  shall  have  to  deal 
with  a  man  who  knows,  a  man  — " 

"  I  am  not  wholly  satisfied  with  these  Eclairs," 
Selingman  interrupted,  gazing  into  the  dish. 
"  Maitre  d'hotel,  come  and  listen  to  an  awful  com- 
plaint," he  went  on,  and,  addressing  one  of  the  head* 


64          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

waiters.  "  Your  eclairs  are  too  small,  your  cream* 
cakes  too  irresistible.  I  eat  too  much  here.  How, 
I  ask  you  in  the  name  of  common  sense,  can  a  man 
dine  who  takes  tea  here !  Bring  the  bill." 

The  man,  smiling,  hastened  away.  Not  a  word 
had  passed  between  the  three,  yet  the  other  two 
understood  the  situation  perfectly.  Hunterleys  and 
Richard  Lane  had  entered  the  room  together  and 
were  seated  at  an  adjoining  table.  Selingman 
plunged  into  a  fresh  tirade,  pointing  to  the  half- 
demolished  plateful  of  cakes. 

"  I  will  eat  one  more,"  he  declared.  "  We  will 
bilk  the  management.  The  bill  is  made  out.  I  shall 
not  be  observed.  Our  friend,"  he  continued,  under 
his  breath,  "  has  secured  a  valuable  bodyguard,  some- 
thing very  large  and  exceedingly  powerful." 

Draconmeyer  hesitated  for  a  moment.  Then  he 
turned  to  Mr.  Grex. 

"  You  have  perhaps  observed,"  he  said,  "  the 
young  man  who  is  seated  at  the  next  table.  It  may 
amuse  you  to  hear  of  a  very  extraordinary  piece 
of  impertinence  of  which,  only  this  afternoon,  he 
was  guilty.  He  accosted  me  upon  the  Terrace  — 
he  is  a  young  American  whom  I  have  met  in  Lon- 
don —  and  asked  me  for  information  respecting  a 
Mr.  and  Miss  Grex." 

Mr.  Grex  looked  slowly  towards  the  speaker. 
There  was  very  little  change  in  his  face,  yet  Dra- 
conmeyer seemed  in  some  way  confused. 

"  You  will  understand,  I  am  sure,  sir,"  he  con- 
tinued, a  little  hastily,  '*  that  I  was  in  no  way  to 
blame  for  the  question  which  the  young  man  ad- 
dressed to  me.  He  had  the  presumption  to  enquire 


CAKES  AND  COUNSELS  65 

whether  I  could  procure  for  him  an  introduction  to 
the  young  lady  whom  he  knew  as  Miss  Grex.  Even 
at  this  moment,"  Draconmeyer  went  on,  lowering 
his  voice,  "  he  is  trying  to  persuade  Hunterleys  to 
let  him  come  over  to  us." 

"  The  young  man,"  Mr.  Grex  said  deliberately, 
"  is  ignorant.  If  necessary,  he  must  be  taught  his 
lesson." 

Selingman  intervened.  He  breathed  a  heavy 
sigh. 

"  Well,"  he  observed,  "  I  perceive  that  the  task 
at  which  we  have  hinted  is  to  fall  upon  my  shoulders. 
We  must  do  what  we  can.  I  am  a  tender-hearted 
man,  and  if  extremes  can  be  avoided,  I  shall  like  my 
task  better.  .  .  .  And  now  I  have  changed  my  mind. 
The  loss  of  that  six  louis  weighs  upon  me.  I  shall 
endeavour  to  regain  it.  Let  us  go." 

They  rose  and  passed  out  into  the  roulette  rooms. 
Richard  Lane,  who  remained  in  his  seat  with  an  ef- 
fort, watched  them  pass  with  a  frown  upon  his  face. 

"  Say,  Sir  Henry,"  he  complained,  "  I  don't  quita 
understand  this.  Why,  I'd  only  got  to  go  over  to 
Draconmeyer  there  and  stand  and  talk  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  he  must  have  introduced  me." 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head. 

"  Let  me  assure  you,"  he  said,  "  that  Draconmeyer 
would  have  done  nothing  of  the  sort.  For  one  thing, 
we  don't  introduce  over  here  as  a  matter  of  course, 
as  you  do  in  America.  And  for  another  —  well,  I 
won't  trouble  you  with  the  other  reason.  .  .  .  Look 
here,  Lane,  take  my  advice,  there's  a  sensible  fellow. 
I  am  a  man  of  the  world,  you  know,  and  there  are 
certain  situations  in  which  one  can  make  no  mistake. 


66          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

If  you  are  as  hard  hit  as  you  say  you  are,  go  for  a 
cruise  and  get  over  it.  Don't  hang  around  here. 
No  good  will  come  of  it." 

The  young  man  set  his  teeth.  He  was  looking 
very  determined  indeed. 

"  There  isn't  anything  in  this  world,  short  of  a 
bomb,"  he  declared,  "  which  is  going  to  blow  me 
out  of  Monte  Carlo  before  I  have  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  Miss  Grext " 


CHAPTER  VH 

THE   EFFEONTEEY    OF    EICHAED 

Hunterleys  took  leave  of  his  companion  as  soon  as 
they  arrived  at  the  roulette  rooms. 

"  Take  my  advice,  Lane,"  he  said  seriously. 
*'  Find  something  to  occupy  your  thoughts.  Throw 
a  few  hundred  thousand  of  your  dollars  away  at  the 
tables,  if  you  must  do  something  foolish.  You'll 
get  into  far  less  trouble." 

Richard  made  no  direct  reply.  He  watched  Hun- 
terleys depart  and  took  up  his  place  opposite  the 
door  to  await  his  sister's  arrival.  It  was  a  quarter 
to  five  before  she  appeared  and  found  him  waiting 
for  her  in  the  door-way. 

"  Say,  you're  late,  Flossie !  "  he  grumbled.  "  I 
thought  you  were  going  to  be  here  soon  after  four." 

She  glanced  at  the  little  watch  upon  her  wrist. 

"  How  the  time  does  slip  away ! "  she  sighed. 
"  But  really,  Dicky,  I  am  late  in  your  interests  as 
much  as  anything.  I  have  been  paying  a  few  calls. 
I  went  out  to  the  Villa  Rosa  to  see  some  people  who 
almost  live  here,  and  then  I  met  Lady  Crawley  and 
she  made  me  go  in  and  have  some  tea." 

"  Well  ?  "  he  asked  impatiently.     «  Well  ?  " 

She  laid  her  fingers  upon  his  arm  and  drew  him 
into  a  less  crowded  part  of  the  room. 

"  Dicky,"  she  confessed,  "  I  don't  seem  to  have 


68         MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

had  a  bit  of  luck.  The  Comtesse  d'Hausson,  who 
lives  at  the  Villa  Rosa,  knows  them  and  showed  me 
from  the  window  the  Villa  Mimosa,  where  they  live, 
but  she  would  tell  me  absolutely  nothing  about  them. 
The  villa  is  the  finest  in  Monte  Carlo,  and  has  al- 
ways been  taken  before  by  some  one  of  note.  She 
declares  that  they  do  not  mix  in  the  society  of  the 
place,  but  she  admits  that  she  has  heard  a  rumour 
that  Grex  is  only  an  assumed  name." 

"  I  begin  to  believe  that  myself,"  he  said  doggedly. 
"  Hunterleys  knows  who  they  are  and  won't  tell  me. 
So  does  that  fellow  Draconmeyer." 

"  Sir  Henry  and  Mr.  Draconmeyer !  "  she  repeated, 
raising  her  eyes.  "  My  dear  Dick,  that  doesn't 
sound  very  reasonable,  does  it  ?  " 

"  I  tell  you  that  they  do,"  he  persisted.  "  They 
as  good  as  told  me  so.  Hunterleys,  especially,  left 
me  here  only  half-an-hour  ago,  and  his  last  words 
were  advising  me  to  chuck  it.  He's  a  sensible  chap 
enough  but  he  won't  even  tell  me  why.  I've  had 
enough  of  it.  I've  a  good  mind  to  take  the  bull  by 
the  horns  myself.  Mr.  Grex  is  here  now,  somewhere 
about.  He  was  sitting  with  Mr.  Draconmeyer  and  a 
fat  old  German  a  few  minutes  ago,  at  the  next  table 
to  ours.  If  I  had  been  alone  I  should  have  gone  up 
and  chanced  being  introduced,  but  Hunterleys 
wouldn't  let  me." 

"  Well,  so  far,"  Lady  Weybourne  admitted,  "  I 
fear  that  I  haven't  done  much  towards  that  electric 
coupe;  but,"  she  added,  in  a  changed  tone,  looking 
across  the  tables,  "  there  is  just  one  thing,  Dicky. 
Fate  sometimes  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  these 
little  affairs.  Look  over  there." 


THE  EFFRONTERY  OF  RICHARD   69 

Richard  left  his  sister  precipitately,  without  even 
a  word  of  farewell.  She  watched  him  cross  the  room, 
and  smiled  at  the  fury  of  a  little  Frenchman  whom 
he  nearly  knocked  over  in  his  hurry  to  get  round  to 
the  other  side  of  the  table.  A  moment  later  he  was 
standing  a  few  feet  away  from  the  girl  who  had 
taken  so  strange  a  hold  upon  his  affections.  He 
himself  was  conscious  of  a  curious  and  unfamiliar 
nervousness.  Physically  he  felt  as  though  he  had 
been  running  hard.  He  set  his  teeth  and  tried  to 
keep  cool.  He  found  some  plaques  in  his  pocket  and 
began  to  stake.  Then  he  became  aware  that  the 
girl  was  holding  in  her  hand  a  note  and  endeavour- 
ing to  attract  the  attention  of  the  man  who  was  giv- 
ing change. 

"  Petite  monnate,  s'tZ  vous  plait,"  he  heard  her 
say,  stretching  out  the  note. 

The  man  took  no  notice.  Richard  held  out  his 
hand. 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  get  it  changed  for  you  ?  " 
he  asked. 

Her  first  impulse  at  the  sound  of  his  voice  was  evi- 
dently one  of  resentment.  She  seemed,  indeed,  in 
the  act  of  returning  some  chilling  reply.  Then  she 
glanced  half  carelessly  towards  him  and  her  eyes 
rested  upon  his  face.  Richard  was  good-looking 
enough,  but  the  chief  characteristic  of  his  face  was 
a  certain  honesty,  which  seemed  accentuated  at  that 
moment  by  his  undoubted  earnestness.  The  type 
was  perhaps  strange  to  her.  She  was  almost  startled 
by  what  she  saw.  Scarcely  knowing  what  she  did, 
she  allowed  him  to  take  the  note  from  her  fingers. 

"  Thank  you  very  much,"  she  murmured. 


70         MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Richard  procured  the  change.  He  would  have 
lifted  every  one  out  of  the  way  if  she  had  been  in  a 
hurry.  Then  he  turned  round  and  counted  it  very 
slowly  into  her  hands.  From  the  left  one  she  had 
removed  the  glove  and  he  saw,  to  his  relief,  that 
there  was  no  engagement  ring  there.  He  counted 
so  slowly  that  towards  the  end  she  seemed  to  be- 
come a  little  impatient. 

"  That  is  quite  all  right,"  she  said.  "  It  was 
very  kind  of  you  to  trouble." 

She  spoke  very  correct  English  with  the  slightest 
of  foreign  accents.  He  looked  once  more  into  her 
eyes. 

"  It  was  a  pleasure,"  he  declared. 

She  smiled  faintly,  an  act  of  graciousness  which 
absolutely  turned  his  head.  With  her  hand  full  of 
plaques,  she  moved  away  and  found  a  place  a  little 
lower  down  the  table.  Richard  fought  with  his  first 
instinct  and  conquered  it.  He  remained  where  he 
was,  and  when  he  moved  it  was  in  another  direction. 
He  went  into  the  bar  and  ordered  a  whisky  and 
soda.  He  was  as  excited  as  he  had  been  in  the  old 
days  when  he  had  rowed  stroke  in  a  winning  race 
for  his  college  boat.  He  felt,  somehow  or  other, 
that  the  first  step  had  been  a  success.  She  had 
been  inclined  at  first  to  resent  his  offer.  She  had 
looked  at  him  arid  changed  her  mind.  Even  when 
she  had  turned  away,  she  had  smiled.  It  was 
ridiculous,  but  he  felt  as  though  he  had  taken  a 
great  step.  Presently  Lady  Weybourne,  on  her 
way  to  the  baccarat  rooms,  saw  him  sitting  there 
and  looked  in. 

"  Well,  Dicky,"  she  exclaimed,  "  what  luck?  * 


THE  EFFRONTERY  OF  RICHARD   71 

"  Sit  down,  Flossie,"  he  begged.  '*  I've  spoken  to 
her." 

"  You  don't  mean, — "  she  began,  horrified. 

"  Oh,  no,  no !  Nothing  of  that  sort !  "  he  inter- 
rupted. "  Don't  think  I'm  such  a  blundering  ass. 
She  was  trying  to  get  change  and  couldn't  reach. 
I  took  the  note  from  her,  got  the  change  and  gave 
it  to  her.  She  said,  *  Thank  you.'  When  she  went 
away,  she  smiled." 

Lady  Weybourne  flopped  down  upon  the  divan 
and  screamed  with  laughter. 

"  Dicky,"  she  murmured,  wiping  her  eyes,  "  tell 
me,  is  that  why  you  are  sitting  there,  looking  as 
though  you  could  see  right  into  Heaven?  Do  you 
know  that  your  face  was  one  great  beam  when  I 
came  in  ?  " 

"  Can't  help  it,"  he  answered  contentedly.  "  I've 
spoken  to  her  and  she  smiled." 

Lady  Weybourne  opened  her  gold  bag  and  pro- 
duced a  card. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  here  is  another  chance  for 
you.  Of  course,  I  don't  know  that  it  will  come  to 
anything,  but  you  may  as  well  try  your  luck." 

"What  is  it?"  he  asked. 

She  thrust  a  square  of  gilt-edged  cardboard  into 
his  hand. 

"  It's  an  invitation,"  she  told  him,  "  from  the  di- 
rectors, to  attend  a  dinner  at  La  Turbie  Golf  Club- 
house, up  in  the  mountains,  to-night.  It  isn't  en- 
tirely a  joke,  I  can  tell  you.  It  takes  at  least  an 
hour  to  get  there,  climbing  all  the  way,  and  the 
place  is  as  likely  as  not  to  be  wrapped  in  clouds,  but 
a  great  many  of  the  important  people  are  going, 


7*          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

and  as  I  happened  to  see  Mr.  Grex's  name  amongst 
the  list  of  members,  the  other  night,  there  is  always 
a  chance  that  they  may  be  there.  If  not,  you  see, 
you  can  soon  come  back." 

"  I'm  on,"  Richard  decided.  "  Give  me  the  ticket. 
I  am  awfully  obliged  to  you,  Flossie." 

"  If  she  is  there,"  Lady  Weybourne  declared, 
rising,  "  I  shall  consider  that  it  is  equivalent  to  one 
wheel  of  the  coupe." 

"  Have  a  cocktail  instead,"  he  suggested. 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  Too  early.  If  we  meet  later  on,  I'll  have  one. 
What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  Same  as  I've  been  doing  ever  since  lunch,"  he 
answered, — "  hang  around  and  see  if  I  can  meet  any 
one  who  knows  them." 

She  laughed  and  hurried  off  into  the  baccarat 
room,  and  Richard  presently  returned  to  the  table 
at  which  the  girl  was  still  playing.  He  took  par- 
ticular care  not  to  approach  her,  but  he  found  a 
place  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  from  which 
he  could  watch  her  unobserved.  She  was  still  stand- 
ing and  apparently  she  was  losing  her  money.  Once, 
with  a  little  petulant  frown,  she  turned  away  and 
moved  a  few  yards  lower  down  the  room.  The  first 
time  she  staked  in  her  new  position,  she  won,  and  a 
smile  which  it  seemed  to  him  was  the  most  brilliant  he 
had  ever  seen,  parted  her  lips.  He  stood  there  look- 
ing at  her,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  where  money 
seemed  god  of  all  things,  he  realised  all  manner  of 
strange  and  pleasant  sensations.  The  fact  that  he 
had  twenty  thousand  francs  in  his  pocket  to  play 
with,  scarcely  occurred  to  him.  He  was  watching  a 


THE  EFFRONTERY  OF  RICHARD   73 

little  wisp  of  golden  hair  by  her  ear,  watching  her 
slightly  wrinkled  forehead  as  she  leaned  over  the 
table,  her  little  grimace  as  she  lost  and  her  stake 
was  swept  away.  She  seemed  indifferent  to  all  by- 
standers. It  was  obvious  that  she  had  very  few 
acquaintances.  Where  he  stood  it  was  not  likely 
that  she  would  notice  him,  and  he  abandoned  him- 
self wholly  to  the  luxury  of  gazing  at  her.  Then 
some  instinct  caused  him  to  turn  his  head.  He  felt 
that  he  in  his  turn  was  being  watched.  He  glanced 
towards  the  divan  set  against  the  wall,  by  the  side 
of  which  he  was  standing.  Mr.  Grex  was  seated 
there,  only  a  few  feet  away,  smoking  a  cigarette. 
Their  eyes  met  and  Richard  was  conscious  of  a 
sudden  embarrassment.  He  felt  like  a  detected  thief, 
and  he  acted  at  that  moment  as  he  often  did  —  en- 
tirely on  impulse.  He  leaned  down  and  resolutely 
addressed  Mr.  Grex. 

"  I  should  be  glad,  sir,  if  you  would  allow  me  to 
speak  to  you  for  a  moment." 

Mr.  Grex's  expression  was  one  of  cold  surprise, 
unmixed  with  any  curiosity. 

"  Do  you  address  me  ?  "  he  asked. 

His  tone  was  vastly  discouraging  but  it  was  too 
late  to  draw  back. 

"  I  should  like  to  speak  to  you,  if  I  may,"  Richard 
continued. 

"  I  am  not  aware,"  Mr.  Grex  said,  "  that  I  have 
the  privilege  of  your  acquaintance." 

"You  haven't,"  Richard  admitted,  "but  all  the 
same  I  want  to  speak  to  you,  if  I  may." 

"  Since  you  have  gone  so  far,"  Mr.  Grex  conceded, 
'*  you  had  better  finish,  but  you  must  allow  me  to 


74         MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

tell  you  in  advance  that  I  look  upon  any  address 
from  a  perfect  stranger  as  an  impertinence." 

"  You'll  think  worse  of  me  before  I've  finished, 
then,"  Richard  declared  desperately.  "  You  don't 
mind  if  I  sit  down?  " 

"  These  seats,"  Mr.  Grex  replied  coldly,  "  are 
free  to  all." 

The  young  man  took  his  place  upon  the  divan 
with  a  sinking  heart.  There  was  something  in  Mr. 
Grex's  tone  which  seemed  to  destroy  all  his  con- 
fidence, a  note  of  something  almost  alien  in  the 
measured  contempt  of  his  speech. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  give  you  any  offence,"  Richard 
began.  "  I  happened  to  notice  that  you  were  watch- 
ing me.  I  was  looking  at  your  daughter  —  staring 
at  her.  I  am  afraid  you  thought  me  impertinent." 

"  Your  perspicuity,"  Mr.  Grex  observed,  "  seems 
to  be  of  a  higher  order  than  your  manners.  You 
are,  perhaps,  a  stranger  to  civilised  society?  " 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  Richard  went  on 
doggedly.  "  I  have  been  to  college  and  mixed  with 
the  usual  sort  of  people.  My  birth  isn't  much  to 
speak  of,  perhaps,  if  you  count  that  for  anything." 

Something  which  was  almost  like  the  ghost  of  a 
smile,  devoid  of  any  trace  of  humour,  parted  Mr. 
Grex's  lips. 

"  If  I  count  that  for  anything ! "  he  repeated, 
half  closing  his  eyes  for  a  moment.  "  Pray  proceed, 
young  man." 

w  I  am  an  American,"  Richard  continued.  "  My 
name  is  Richard  Lane.  My  father  was  very  wealthy 
and  I  am  his  heir.  My  sister  is  Lady  Weybourne. 
I  was  lunching  with  her  at  Giro's  to-day  when  I  saw- 


you  and  your  daughter.  I  think  I  can  say  that  I 
am  a  respectable  person.  I  have  a  great  many 
friends  to  whom  I  can  refer  you." 

"  I  am  not  thinking  of  engaging  anybody,  that  I 
know  of,"  Mr.  Grex  murmured. 

**  I  want  to  marry  your  daughter,"  Richard  de- 
clared desperately,  feeling  that  any  further  form  of 
explanation  would  only  lead  him  into  greater  trouble. 

Mr.  Grex  knocked  the  ash  from  his  cigarette. 

"  Is  your  keeper  anywhere  in  the  vicinity  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  I  am  perfectly  sane,"  Richard  assured  him.  "  I 
know  that  it  sounds  foolish  but  it  isn't  really.  I 
am  twenty-seven  years  old  and  I  have  never  asked 
a  girl  to  marry  me  yet.  I  have  been  waiting  un- 
til—" 

The  words  died  away  upon  his  lips.  It  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  continue,  the  cold  enmity  of  this 
man  was  too  chilling. 

"  I  am  absolutely  in  earnest,"  he  insisted.  "  I 
have  been  endeavouring  all  day  to  find  some  mutual 
friend  to  introduce  me  to  your  daughter.  Will  you 
do  so  ?  Will  you  give  me  a  chance  ?  " 

"  I  will  not,"  Mr.  Grex  replied  firmly. 

"Why  not?  Please  tell  me  why  not?"  Richard 
begged.  "  I  am  not  asking  for  anything  more  now 
than  just  an  opportunity  to  talk  with  her." 

"  It  is  not  a  matter  which  admits  of  discussion," 
Mr.  Grex  pronounced.  "  I  have  permitted  you 
to  say  what  you  wished,  notwithstanding  the  colossal, 
the  unimaginable  impertinence  of  your  suggestion. 
I  request  you  to  leave  me  now  and  I  advise  you 
most  heartily  to  indulge  no  more  in  the  most  pre- 


76          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

posterous  and  idiotic  idea  which  ever  entered  into 
the  head  of  an  apparently  sane  young  man." 

Richard  rose  slowly  to  his  feet. 

"Very  well,  sir,"  he  replied,  "I'll  go.  All  the 
same,  what  you  have  said  doesn't  make  any  differ- 
ence." 

"  Does  not  make  any  difference  ?  "  Mr.  Grex  re- 
peated, with  arched  eyebrows. 

"  None  at  all,"  Richard  declared.  "  I  don't  know 
what  your  objection  to  me  is,  but  I  hope  you'll  get 
over  it  some  day.  I'd  like  to  make  friends  with 
you.  Perhaps,  later  on,  you  may  look  at  the  matter 
differently." 

"  Later  on?  "  Mr.  Grex  murmured. 

"  When  I  have  married  your  daughter,"  Richard 
concluded,  marching  defiantly  away. 

Mr.  Grex  watched  the  young  man  until  he  had 
disappeared  in  the  crowd.  Then  he  leaned  back 
amongst  the  cushions  of  the  divan  with  folded  arms. 
Little  lines  had  become  visible  around  his  eyes,  there 
was  a  slight  twitching  at  the  corners  of  his  lips.  He 
looked  like  a  man  who  was  inwardly  enjoying  some 
huge  joke. 


CHAPTER  Vin 

UP    THE    MOUNTAIN 

Richard,  passing  the  Hotel  de  Paris  that  evening 
in  his  wicked-looking  grey  racing  car,  saw  Hunter- 
leys  standing  on  the  steps  and  pulled  up. 

"  Not  going  up  to  La  Turbie,  by  any  chance?  " 
he  enquired. 

Hunterleys  nodded. 

"  I'm  going  up  to  the  dinner,"  he  replied.  "  The 
hotel  motor  is  starting  from  here  in  a  few  minutes." 

"  Come  with  me,"  Richard  invited. 

Hunterleys  looked  a  little  doubtfully  at  the  long, 
low  machine. 

"  Are  you  going  to  shoot  up  ?  "  he  asked.  "  It's 
rather  a  dangerous  road." 

"  I'll  take  care  of  you,"  the  young  man  promised. 
"  That  hotel  'bus  will  be  crammed." 

They  glided  through  the  streets  on  to  the  broad, 
hard  road,  and  crept  upwards  with  scarcely  a  sound, 
through  the  blue-black  twilight.  Around  and  in 
front  of  them  little  lights  shone  out  from  the  villas 
and  small  houses  dotted  away  in  the  mountains. 
Almost  imperceptibly  they  passed  into  a  different 
atmosphere.  The  air  became  cold  and  exhilarating. 
The  flavour  of  the  mountain  snows  gave  life  to  the 
breeze.  Hunterleys  buttoned  up  his  coat  but  bared 
his  head. 


78          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  My  young  friend,"  he  said,  "  this  is  wonderful.*' 

"  It's  a  great  climb,"  Richard  assented,  "  and 
doesn't  she  just  eat  it  up !  " 

They  paused  for  a  moment  at  La  Turbie.  Below 
them  was  a  chain  of  glittering  lights  fringing  the 
Bay  of  Mentone,  and  at  their  feet  the  lights  of  the 
Casino  and  Monte  Carlo  flared  up  through  the 
scented  darkness.  Once  more  they  swung  upwards. 
The  road  now  had  become  narrower  and  the  turn- 
ings more  frequent.  They  were  up  above  the  region 
of  villas  and  farmhouses,  in  a  country  which  seemed 
to  consist  only  of  bleak  hillside,  open  to  the  winds, 
wrapped  in  shadows.  Now  and  then  they  heard 
the  tinkling  of  a  goat  bell;  far  below  they  saw  the 
twin  lights  of  other  ascending  cars.  They  reached 
the  plateau  at  last  and  drew  up  before  the  club- 
house, ablaze  with  cheerful  lights. 

"  I'll  just  leave  the  car  under  the  trees,"  Richard 
declared.  "  No  one  will  be  staying  late." 

Hunterleys  unwound  his  scarf  and  handed  his 
coat  and  hat  to  a  page-boy.  Then  he  stood  sud- 
denly rigid.  He  bit  his  lip.  His  wife  had  just 
issued  from  the  cloak-room  and  was  drawing  on  her 
gloves.  She  saw  him  and  hesitated.  She,  too, 
turned  a  little  paler.  Slowly  Hunterleys  ap- 
proached her. 

"  An  unexpected  pleasure,"  he  murmured. 

"  I  am  here  with  Mr.  Draconmeyer,"  she  told  him, 
almost  bluntly. 

Hunterleys  bowed. 

"  And  a  party?  "  he  enquired. 

"  No,"  she  replied.  "  I  really  did  not  want  to 
come.  Mr.  Draconmeyer  had  promised  Monsieur 


UP  THE  MOUNTAIN  79 

Pericot,  the  director  here,  to  come  and  bring  Mrs. 
Draconmeyer.  At  the  last  moment,  however,  she 
was  not  well  enough,  and  he  almost  insisted  upon  my 
taking  her  place." 

"  Is  it  necessary  to  explain  ?  "  Hunterleys  asked 
quietly.  "  You  know  very  well  how  I  regard  this 
friendship  of  yours." 

"  I  am  sorry,"  she  said.  "  If  I  had  known  that 
we  were  likely  to  meet  —  well,  I  would  not  have  come 
here  to-night." 

"  You  were  at  least  considerate,"  he  remarked 
bitterly.  "  May  I  be  permitted  to  compliment  you 
upon  your  toilette?  " 

*'  As  you  pay  for  my  frocks,"  she  answered,  "  there 
is  certainly  no  reason  why  you  shouldn't  admire 
them." 

He  bit  his  lip.  There  was  a  certain  challenge  in 
her  expression  which  made  him,  for  a  moment,  feel 
weak.  She  was  a  very  beautiful  woman  and  she  was 
looking  her  best.  He  spoke  quickly  on  another  sub- 
ject. 

"  Are  you  still,"  he  asked,  "  troubled  by  the  at- 
tentions of  the  person  you  spoke  to  me  about  ?  " 

"  I  am  still  watched,"  she  replied  drily. 

"  I  have  made  some  enquiries,"  Hunterleys  con- 
tinued, "  and  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  you 
are  right." 

"  And  you  still  tell  me  that  you  have  nothing  to 
do  with  it?" 

"  I  assure  you,  upon  my  honour,  that  I  have  noth- 
ing whatever  to  do  with  it." 

It  was  obvious  that  she  was  puzzled,  but  at  that 
moment  Mr.  Draconmeyer  presented  himself.  The 


8o          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

newcomer  simply  bowed  to  Hunterleys  and  addressed 
some  remark  about  the  room  to  Violet.  Then 
Richard  came  up  and  they  all  passed  on  into  the 
reception  room,  where  two  or  three  very  fussy  but 
very  suave  and  charming  Frenchmen  were  receiving 
the  guests.  A  few  minutes  afterwards  dinner  was 
announced.  A  black  frown  was  upon  Richard's  fore- 
head. 

"  She  isn't  coming ! "  he  muttered.  "  I  say,  Sir 
Henry,  you  won't  mind  if  we  leave  early?  " 

"  I  shall  be  jolly  glad  to  get  away,"  Hunterleys 
assented  heartily. 

Then  he  suddenly  felt  a  grip  of  iron  upon  his 
arm. 

"  She's  come ! "  Richard  murmured  ecstatically. 
"  Look  at  her,  all  in  white !  Just  look  at  the  colour 
of  her  hair!  There  she  is,  going  into  the  reception 
room.  Jove !  I'm  glad  we  are  here,  after  all !  " 

Hunterleys  smiled  a  little  wearily.  They  passed 
on  into  the  salle  a  manger.  The  seats  at  the  long 
dining-tables  were  not  reserved,  and  they  found  a 
little  table  for  two  in  a  corner,  which  they  annexed. 
Hunterleys  was  in  a  grim  humour,  but  his  companion 
was  in  the  wildest  spirits.  Considering  that  he  was 
placed  where  he  could  see  Mr.  Grex  and  his  daughter 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  time,  he  really  did  contrive 
to  keep  his  eyes  away  from  them  to  a  wonderful 
extent,  but  he  talked  of  her  unceasingly. 

"  Say,  I'm  sorry  for  you,  Sir  Henry ! "  he  de- 
clared. "  It's  just  your  bad  luck,  being  here  with 
me  while  I've  got  this  fit  on,  but  I've  got  to  talk 
to  some  one,  so  you  may  as  well  make  up  your 
mind  to  it.  There  never  was  anything  like  that 


UP  THE  MOUNTAIN  81 

girl  upon  the  earth.  There  never  was  anything  like 
the  feeling  you  get,"  he  went  on,  "  when  you're  ab- 
solutely and  entirely  convinced,  when  you  know  — 
that  there's  just  one  girl  who  counts  for  you  in  the 
whole  universe.  Gee  whiz !  It  does  get  hold  of  you ! 
I  suppose  you've  been  through  it  all,  though." 

"  Yes,  I've  been  through  it !  "  Hunterleys  admitted, 
with  a  sigh. 

The  young  man  bit  his  lip.  The  story  of  Hun- 
terleys' matrimonial  differences  was  already  being 
whispered  about.  Richard  talked  polo  vigorously 
for  the  next  quarter  of  an  hour.  It  was  not 
until  the  coffee  and  liqueurs  arrived  that  they  re- 
turned to  the  subject  of  Miss  Grex.  Then  it  was 
Hunterleys  himself  who  introduced  it.  He  was  be- 
ginning to  rather  like  this  big,  self-confident  young 
man,  so  full  of  his  simple  love  affair,  so  absolutely 
honest  in  his  purpose,  in  his  outlook  upon  life. 

"  Lane,"  he  said,  "  I  have  given  you  several  hints 
during  the  day,  haven't  I  ?  " 

"  That's  so,"  Richard  agreed.  "  You've  done 
your  best  to  head  me  off.  So  did  my  future  father- 
in-law.  Sort  of  hopeless  task,  I  can  assure  you." 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head. 

"  Honestly,"  he  continued,  "  I  wouldn't  let  myself 
think  too  much  about  her,  Lane.  I  don't  want  to 
explain  exactly  what  I  mean.  There's  no  real  rea- 
son wliy  I  shouldn't  tell  you  what  I  know  about  Mr. 
Grex,  but  for  a  good  many  people's  sakes,  it's  just 
as  well  that  those  few  of  us  who  know  keep  quiet. 
I  am  sure  you  trust  me,  and  it's  just  the  same,  there- 
fore, if  I  tell  you  straight,  as  man  to  man,  that 
you're  only  laying  up  for  yourself  a  store  of  un- 


82          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

happiness  by  fixing  your  thoughts  so  entirely  upon 
that  young  woman." 

Richard,  for  all  his  sublime  confidence,  was  a  little 
staggered  by  the  other's  earnestness. 

"  Look  here,"  he  said,  "  the  girl  isn't  married,  to 
start  with?  " 

"  Not  that  I  know  of,"  Hunterleys  confessed. 

"  And  she's  not  engaged  because  I've  seen  her  left 
hand,"  Richard  proceeded.  "  I'm  not  one  of  those 
Americans  who  go  shouting  all  over  the  world  that 
because  I've  got  a  few  million  dollars  I  am  the 
equal  of  anybody,  but  honestly,  Sir  Henry,  there 
are  a  good  many  prejudices  over  this  side  that  you 
fellows  lay  too  much  store  by.  Grex  may  be  a  no- 
bleman in  disguise.  I  don't  care.  I  am  a  man.  I 
can  give  her  everything  she  needs  in  life  and  I  am 
not  going  to  admit,  even  if  she  is  an  aristocrat,  that 
you  croakers  are  right  when  you  shake  your  heads 
and  advise  me  to  give  her  up.  I  don't  care  who  she 
is,  Hunterleys.  I  am  going  to  marry  her." 

Hunterleys  helped  himself  to  a  liqueur. 

"  Young  man,"  he  said,  "  in  a  sense  I  admire  your 
independence.  In  another,  I  think  you've  got  all 
the  conceit  a  man  needs  for  this  world.  Let  us  pre- 
sume, for  a  moment,  that  she  is,  as  you  surmise,  the 
daughter  of  a  nobleman.  When  it  suits  her  father 
to  throw  off  his  incognito,  she  is  probably  in  touch 
with  young  men  in  the  highest  circles  of  many  coun- 
tries. Why  should  you  suppose  that  you  can  come 
along  and  cut  them  all  out  ?  " 

"  Because  I  love  her,"  the  young  man  answered 
simply.  "  They  don't." 

"  You    must     remember,"     Hunterleys     resumed, 


UP  THE  MOUNTAIN  83 

"  that  all  foreign  noblemen  are  not  what  they  are 
represented  to  be  in  your  comic  papers.  Austrian 
and  Russian  men  of  high  rank  are  most  of  them  very 
highly  cultivated,  very  accomplished,  and  very  good- 
looking.  You  don't  know  much  of  the  world,  do 
you?  It's  a  pretty  formidable  enterprise  to  come 
from  a  New  York  office,  with  only  Harvard  behind 
you,  and  a  year  or  so's  travel  as  a  tourist,  and  enter 
the  list  against  men  who  have  had  twice  your  oppor- 
tunities. I  am  talking  to  you  like  this,  young  fel- 
low, for  your  good.  I  hope  you  realise  that. 
You're  used  to  getting  what  you  want.  That's  be- 
cause you've  been  brought  up  in  a  country  where 
money  can  do  almost  anything.  I  am  behind  the 
scenes  here  and  I  can  assure  you  that  your  money 
won't  count  for  much  with  Mr.  Grex." 

"  I  never  thought  it  would,"  Richard  admitted. 
"  I  think  when  I  talk  to  her  she'll  understand  that  I 
care  more  than  any  of  the  others.  If  you  want  to 
know  the  reason,  that's  why  I'm  so  hopeful." 

Monsieur  le  Directeur  had  risen  to  his  feet.  Some 
one  had  proposed  his  health  and  he  made  a  grace- 
ful little  speech  of  acknowledgment.  He  remained 
standing  for  a  few  minutes  after  the  cheers  which  had 
greeted  his  neat  oratorical  display  had  died  away. 
The  conclusion  of  his  remarks  came  as  rather  a  sur- 
prise to  his  guests. 

"  I  have  to  ask  you,  ladies  and  gentlemen,"  he 
announced,  "  with  many,  many  regrets,  and  begging 
you  to  forgive  my  apparent  inhospitality,  to  make 
your  arrangements  for  leaving  us  as  speedily  as 
may  be  possible.  Our  magnificent  situation,  with 
which  I  believe  that  most  of  you  are  familiar,  has 


84          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

but  one  drawback.  We  are  subject  to  very  dense 
mountain  mists,  and  alas !  I  have  to  tell  you  that 
one  of  these  has  come  on  most  unexpectedly  and  the 
descent  must  be  made  with  the  utmost  care.  Believe 
me,  there  is  no  risk  or  any  danger,"  he  went  on  ear- 
nestly, "  so  long  as  you  instruct  your  chauffeurs  to 
proceed  with  all  possible  caution.  At  the  same  time, 
as  there  is  very  little  chance  of  the  mist  becoming 
absolutely  dispelled  before  daylight,  in  your  own 
interests  I  would  suggest  that  a  start  be  made  as 
soon  as  possible." 

Every  one  rose  at  once,  Richard  and  Hunterleys 
amongst  them. 

"  This  will  test  your  skill  to-night,  young  man," 
Hunterleys  remarked.  "  How's  the  nerve,  eh?  " 

Richard  smiled  almost  beatifically.  For  once  he 
had  allowed  his  eyes  to  wander  and  he  was  watching 
the  girl  with  golden  hair  who  was  at  that  moment 
receiving  the  respectful  homage  of  the  director. 

"  Lunatics,  and  men  who  are  head  over  heels  in 
love,"  he  declared,  "  never  come  to  any  harm. 
You'll  be  perfectly  safe  with  me." 


CHAPTER  IX 

IN    THE    MISTS 

Their  first  glimpse  of  the  night,  as  Hunterleys 
and  Lane  passed  out  through  the  grudgingly  opened 
door,  was  sufficiently  disconcerting.  A  little  mur- 
mur of  dismay  broke  from  the  assembled  crowd. 
Nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  a  dense  bank  of  white 
mist,  through  which  shone  the  brilliant  lights  of  the 
automobiles  waiting  at  the  door.  Monsieur  le 
Directeur  hastened  about,  doing  his  best  to  reassure 
everybody. 

"  If  I  thought  it  was  of  the  slightest  use,"  he  dfr- 
clared,  "  I  would  ask  you  all  to  stay,  but  when  the 
clouds  once  stoop  like  this,  there  is  not  likely  to  be 
any  change  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  we  have  not, 
alas!  sleeping  accommodation.  If  the  cars  are 
slowly  driven  and  kept  to  the  inside,  it  is  only  a 
matter  of  a  mile  or  two  before  you  will  drop  below 
the  level  of  the  clouds." 

Hunterleys  and  Lane  made  their  way  out  to  the 
front,  and  with  their  coat  collars  turned  up,  groped 
their  way  to  the  turf  on  the  other  side  of  the  avenue. 
From  where  they  stood,  looking  downwards,  the 
whole  world  seemed  wrapped  in  mysterious  and  som- 
ber silence.  There  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but  the 
grey,  driving  clouds.  In  less  than  a  minute  their 


86          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

hair  and  eyebrows  were  dripping.  A  slight  breeze 
had  sprung  up,  the  cold  was  intense. 

"  Cheerful  sort  of  place,  this,"  Lane  remarked 
gloomily.  "  Shall  we  make  a  start?  " 

Hunterleys  hesitated. 

"Not  just  yet.     Look!" 

He  pointed  downwards.  For  a  moment  the  clouds 
had  parted.  Thousands  of  feet  below,  like  little 
pinpricks  of  red  fire,  they  saw  the  lights  of  Monte 
Carlo.  Almost  as  they  looked,  the  clouds  closed  up 
again.  It  was  as  though  they  had  peered  into  an- 
other world. 

"  Jove,  that  was  queer !  "  Lane  muttered.  "  Look ! 
What's  that?  " 

A  long  ray  of  sickly  yellow  light  shone  for  a  mo- 
ment and  was  then  suddenly  blotted  out  by  a  roll- 
ing mass  of  vapour.  The  clouds  had  closed  in 
again  once  more.  The  obscurity  was  denser  than 
ever. 

"  The  lighthouse,"  Hunterleys  replied.  "  Do  you 
think  it's  any  use  waiting?  " 

"  We'll  go  inside  and  put  on  our  coats,"  Lane 
suggested.  "  My  car  is  by  the  side  of  the  avenue 
there.  I  covered  it  over  and  left  it." 

They  found  their  coats  in  the  hall,  wrapped  them- 
selves up  and  lit  cigarettes.  Already  many  of  the 
cars  had  started  and  vanished  cautiously  into  ob- 
scurity. Every  now  and  then  one  could  hear  the 
tooting  of  their  horns  from  far  away  below.  The 
chief  steward  was  directing  the  departures  and  in- 
sisting upon  an  interval  of  three  minutes  between 
each.  The  two  men  stood  on  one  side  and  watched 
him.  He  was  holding  open  the  door  of  a  large,  ex- 


IN  THE  MISTS  87 

ceptionally  handsome  car.  On  the  other  side  was  a 
servant  in  white  livery.  Lane  gripped  his  compan- 
ion's arm. 

"  There  she  goes !  "  he  exclaimed. 

The  girl,  followed  by  Mr.  Grex,  stepped  into  the 
landaulette,  which  was  brilliantly  illuminated  inside 
with  electric  light.  Almost  immediately  the  car 
glided  noiselessly  off.  The  two  men  watched  it  until 
it  disappeared.  Then  they  crossed  the  road. 

"  Now  then,  Sir  Henry,"  Richard  observed  grimly, 
as  he  turned  the  handle  of  the  car  and  they  took  their 
places  in  the  little  well-shaped  space,  "  better  say 
your  prayers.  I'm  going  to  drive  slowly  enough 
but  it's  an  awful  job,  this,  crawling  down  the  side  of 
a  mountain  in  the  dark,  with  nothing  between  you 
and  eternity  but  your  brakes." 

They  crept  off.  As  far  as  the  first  turn  the  lights 
from  the  club-house  helped  them.  Immediately  aft- 
erwards, however,  the  obscurity  was  enveloping. 
Their  faces  were  wet  and  shiny  with  moisture.  Even 
the  fingers  of  Lane's  gloves  which  gripped  the  wheel 
were  sodden.  He  proceeded  at  a  snail's  pace,  keep- 
ing always  on  the  inside  of  the  road  and  only  a  few 
inches  from  the  wall  or  bank.  Once  he  lost  his  way 
and  his  front  wheel  struck  a  small  stump,  but  they 
were  going  too  slowly  for  disaster.  Another  time 
he  failed  to  follow  the  turn  of  the  road  and  found 
himself  in  a  rough  cart  track.  They  backed  with 
difficulty  and  got  right  once  more.  At  the  fourth 
turn  they  came  suddenly  upon  a  huge  car  which  had 
left  the  road  as  they  had  done  and  was  standing 
amongst  the  pine  trees,  its  lights  flaring  through  the 
mist. 


88          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Hullo ! "  Lane  called  out,  coming  to  a  standstill. 
"  You've  missed  the  turn." 

"  My  master  is  going  to  stay  here  all  night,"  the 
chauffeur  shouted  back. 

A  man  put  his  head  from  the  window  and  began 
to  talk  in  rapid  French. 

"  It  is  inconceivable,"  he  exclaimed,  "  that  any  one 
should  attempt  the  descent !  We  have  rugs,  my  wife 
and  I.  We  stay  here  till  the  clouds  pass." 

"  Good  night,  then !  "  Lane  cried  cheerfully. 

"  Not  sure  that  you're  not  wise,"  Hunterleys 
added,  with  a  shiver. 

Twice  they  stopped  while  Lane  rubbed  the  mois- 
ture from  his  gloves  and  lit  a  fresh  cigarette. 

"  This  is  a  test  for  your  nerve,  young  fellow," 
Hunterleys  remarked.  "  Ar<5  you  feeling  it?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  Lane  replied.  "  I  can't  make 
out,  though,  why  that  steward  made  us  all  start  at 
intervals  of  three  minutes.  Seems  to  me  we  should 
have  been  better  going  together  at  this  pace.  Save 
any  one  from  getting  lost,  anyhow." 

They  crawled  on  for  another  twenty  minutes. 
The  routine  was  always  the  same  —  a  hundred  yards 
or  perhaps  two,  an  abrupt  turn  and  then  a  similar 
distance  the  other  way.  They  had  one  or  two  slight 
misadventures  but  they  made  progress.  Once, 
through  a  rift,  they  caught  a  momentary  vision  of  a 
carpet  of  lights  at  a  giddy  distance  below. 

"  We'll  make  it  all  right,"  Lane  declared,  crawling 
around  another  corner.  "  Gee !  but  this  is  the  tough- 
est thing  in  driving  I've  ever  known !  I  can  do 
ninety  with  this  car  easier  than  I  can  do  this  three. 
Hullo,  some  one  else  in  trouble ! " 


IN  THE  MISTS  89 

Before  them,  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  a  light 
was  being  slowly  swung  backwards  and  forwards. 
Lane  brought  the  car  to  a  standstill.  He  had 
scarcely  done  so  when  they  were  conscious  of  the 
sound  of  footsteps  all  around  them.  The  arms  of 
both  men  were  seized  from  behind.  They  vere  ad- 
dressed in  guttural  French. 

"  Messieurs  will  be  pleased  to  descend." 

"What  the  —  what's  wrong?"  Lane  demanded. 

"  Descend  at  once,"  was  the  prompt  order. 

By  the  light  of  the  lantern  which  the  speaker  was 
holding,  they  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  dozen  white  faces 
and  the  dull  gleam  of  metal  from  the  firearms  which 
his  companions  were  carrying.  Hunterleys  stepped 
out.  An  escort  of  two  men  was  at  once  formed  on 
either  side  of  him. 

"  Tell  us  what  it's  all  about,  anyhow? "  he 
asked  coolly. 

"  Nothing  serious,"  the  same  guttural  voice  an- 
swered,—  "  a  little  affair  which  will  be  settled  in  a 
few  minutes.  As  for  you,  monsieur,"  the  man  con- 
tinued, turning  to  Lane,  "  you  will  drive  your  car 
slowly  to  the  next  turn,  and  leave  it  there.  After- 
wards you  will  return  with  me." 

Richard  set  his  teeth  and  leaned  over  his  wheel. 
Then  it  suddenly  flashed  into  his  mind  that  Mr.  Grex 
and  his  daughter  were  already  amongst  the  cap- 
tured. He  quickly  abandoned  his  first  instinct. 

"  With  pleasure,  monsieur,"  he  assented.  "  Tell 
me  when  to  stop." 

He  drove  the  car  a  few  yards  round  the  corner, 
past  a  line  of  others.  Their  lights  were  all  extin- 
guished and  the  chauffeurs  absent. 


90          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  This  is  a  pleasant  sort  of  picnic  !  "  he  grumbled, 
as  he  brought  his  car  to  a  standstill.  "  Now  what 
do  I  do,  monsieur  ?  " 

"  You  return  with  me,  if  you  please,"  was  the  re- 


Richard  stood,  for  a  moment,  irresolute.  The 
idea  of  giving  in  without  a  struggle  was  most  dis- 
tasteful to  this  self-reliant  young  American.  Then 
he  realised  that  not  only  was  his  captor  armed  but 
that  there  were  men  behind  him  and  one  on  either 
side. 

"  Lead  the  way,"  he  decided  tersely. 

They  marched  him  up  the  hill,  a  little  way  across 
some  short  turf  and  round  the  back  of  a  rock  to  a 
long  building  which  he  remembered  to  have  noticed 
on  his  way  up.  His  guide  threw  open  the  door  and 
Richard  looked  in  upon  a  curious  scene.  Ranged  up 
against  the  further  wall  were  about  a  dozen  of  the 
guests  who  had  preceded  him  in  his  departure  from 
the  Club-house.  One  man  only  had  his  hands  tied 
behind  him.  The  others,  apparently,  were  consid- 
ered harmless.  Mr.  Grex  was  the  one  man,  and 
there  was  a  little  blood  dripping  from  his  right  hand. 
The  girl  stood  by  his  side.  She  was  no  paler  than 
usual  —  she  showed,  indeed,  no  signs  of  terror  at 
all  —  but  her  eyes  were  bright  with  indignation. 
One  man  was  busy  stripping  the  jewels  from  the 
women  and  throwing  them  into  a  bag.  In  the  far 
corner  the  little  group  of  chauffeurs  was  being 
watched  by  two  more  men,  also  carrying  firearms. 
Lane  looked  down  the  line  of  faces.  Lady  Hunter- 
leys  was  there,  and  by  her  side  Draconmeyer.  Hun- 
[terleys  was  a  little  apart  from  the  others.  Freddy 


IN  THE  MISTS  91 

Montressor,  who  was  leaning  against  the  wall,  chuc- 
kled as  Lane  came  in. 

"  So  they've  got  you,  too,  Dicky,  have  they  ?  "  he 
remarked.  "  It's  a  hold-up  —  a  bully  one,  too. 
Makes  one  feel  quite  homesick,  eh?  How  much  have 
you  got  on  you  ?  " 

"  Precious  little,  thank  heavens ! "  Richard  mut- 
tered. 

His  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  brigand  who  was  col- 
lecting the  jewels,  and  who  was  now  approaching 
Miss  Grex.  He  felt  something  tingling  in  his  blood. 
One  of  the  guests  began  to  talk  excitedly.  The  man 
who  was  apparently  the  leader,  and  who  was  stand- 
ing at  the  door  with  an  electric  torch  in  one  hand 
and  a  revolver  in  the  other,  stepped  a  little  for- 
ward. 

"  Ladies  and  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "  once  more  I 
beg  you  not  to  be  alarmed.  So  long  as  you  part 
with  your  valuables  peaceably,  you  will  be  at  liberty 
to  depart  as  soon  as  every  one  has  been  dealt  with. 
If  there  is  no  resistance,  there  will  be  no  trouble. 
We  do  not  wish  to  hurt  any  one." 

The  collector  of  jewels  had  arrived  in  front  of  the 
girl.  She  unfastened  her  necklace  and  handed  it  to 
him. 

"  The  little  pendant  around  my  neck,"  she  re- 
marked calmly,  "  is  valueless.  I  desire  to  keep  it." 

"  Impossible !  "  the  man  replied.     "  Off  with  it." 

"  But  I  insist !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  It  is  an  heir- 
loom." 

The  man  laughed  brutally.  His  filthy  hand  was 
raised  to  her  neck.  Even  as  he  touched  her,  Lane, 
with  a  roar  of  anger,  sent  one  of  his  guards  flying 


92          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

on  to  the  floor  of  the  barn,  and,  snatching  the  gun 
from  his  hand,  sprang  forward. 

"  Come  on,  you  fellows ! "  he  shouted,  bringing  it 
down  suddenly  upon  the  hand  of  the  robber. 
"  These  things  aren't  loaded.  There's  only  one  of 
these  blackguards  with  a  revolver." 

"  And  I've  got  him ! "  Hunterleys,  who  had  been 
watching  Lane  closely,  cried,  suddenly  swinging  his 
arm  around  the  man's  neck  and  knocking  his  re- 
volver up. 

There  was  a  yell  of  pain  from  the  man  with  the 
jewels,  whose  wrist  Lane  had  broken,  a  howl  of  dis- 
may from  the  others  —  pandemonium. 

"  At  'em,  Freddy ! "  Lane  shouted,  seizing  the 
nearest  of  his  assailants  by  the  neck  and  throwing 
him  out  into  the  darkness.  "  To  hell  with  you ! " 
he  added,  just  escaping  a  murderous  blow  and  driv- 
ing his  fist  into  the  face  of  the  man  who  had  aimed 
it.  "  Good  for  you,  Hunterleys !  There  isn't  one 
of  those  old  guns  of  theirs  that'll  go  off.  They 
aren't  even  loaded." 

The  barn  seemed  suddenly  to  become  half  empty. 
Into  the  darkness  the  little  band  of  brigands  crept 
away  like  rats.  In  less  than  half  a  minute  they  had 
all  fled,  excepting  the  one  who  lay  on  the  ground 
unconscious  from  the  effects  of  Richard's  blow,  and 
the  leader  of  the  gang,  whom  Hunterleys  still  held 
by  the  throat.  Richard,  with  a  clasp-knife  which 
he  had  drawn  from  his  pocket,  cut  the  cord  which 
they  had  tied  around  Mr.  Grex's  wrists.  His  ac- 
tion, however,  was  altogether  mechanical.  He 
scarcely  glanced  at  what  he  was  doing.  Somehow 
or  other,  he  found  the  girl's  hands  in  his. 


IN  THE  MISTS  93 

"That  brute  —  didn't  touch  you,  did  he?"  he 
asked. 

She  looked  at  him.  Whether  the  clouds  were  still 
outside  or  not,  Lane  felt  that  he  had  passed  into 
Heaven. 

"  He  did  not,  thanks  to  you,"  she  murmured. 
"  But  do  you  mean  really  that  those  guns  all  the 
time  weren't  loaded?  " 

"  I  don't  believe  they  were,"  Richard  declared 
stoutly.  "  That  chap  kept  on  playing  about  with 
the  lock  of  his  old  musket  and  I  felt  sure  that  it  was 
of  no  use,  loaded  or  not.  Anyway,  when  I  saw  that 
brute  try  to  handle  you  —  well — " 

He  stopped,  with  an  awkward  little  laugh.  Mr. 
Grex  tapped  a  cigarette  upon  his  case  and  lit  it. 

"  I  am  sure,  my  young  friend,  we  are  all  very  much 
indebted  to  you.  The  methods  which  sometimes  are 
scarcely  politic  in  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life,"  he 
continued  drily,  "  are  admirable  enough  in  a  case 
like  this.  We  will  just  help  Hunterleys  tie  up  the 
leader  of  the  gang.  A  very  plucky  stroke,  that  of 
his." 

He  crossed  the  barn.  One  of  the  women  had 
fainted,  others  were  busy  collecting  their  jewelry. 
The  chauffeurs  had  hurried  off  to  relight  the  lamps 
of  the  cars. 

"  I  must  tell  you  this,"  Richard  said,  drawing  a 
a  little  nearer  to  the  girl.  "  Please  don't  be  angry 
with  me.  I  went  to  your  father  this  afternoon.  I 
made  an  idiot  of  myself  —  I  couldn't  help  it.  I 
was  staring  at  you  and  he  noticed  it.  I  didn't  want 
him  to  think  that  I  was  such  an  ill-mannered  brute 
as  I  seemed.  I  tried  to  make  him  understand  but 


94          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

he  wouldn't  listen  to  me.  I'd  like  to  tell  you  now  — • 
now  that  I  have  the  opportunity  —  that  I  think 
you're  just  — " 

She  smiled  very  faintly. 

"  What  is  it  that  you  wish  to  tell  me  ?  "  she  asked 
patiently. 

"  That  I  love  you,"  he  wound  up  abruptly. 

There  was  a  moment's  silence,  a  silence  with  a 
background  of  strange  noises.  People  were  talking, 
almost  shouting  to  one  another  with  excitement. 
Newcomers  were  being  told  the  news.  The  man 
whom  Hunterleys  had  captured  was  shrieking  and 
cursing.  From  beyond  came  the  tooting  of  motor- 
horns  as  the  cars  returned.  Lane  heard  nothing. 
He  saw  nothing  but  the  white  face  of  the  girl  as  she 
stood  in  the  shadows  of  the  barn,  with  its  walls  of 
roughly  threaded  pine  trunks. 

"  But  I  have  scarcely  ever  spoken  to  you  in  my 
life !  "  she  protested,  looking  at  him  in  astonishment. 

"  It  doesn't  make  any  difference,"  he  replied. 
"  You  know  I  am  speaking  the  truth.  I  think,  in 
your  heart,  that  you,  too,  know  that  these  things 
don't  matter,  now  and  then.  Of  course,  you  don't 
—  you  couldn't  feel  anything  of  what  I  feel,  but 
with  me  it's  there  now  and  for  always,  and  I  want  to 
have  a  chance,  just  a  chance  to  make  you  under- 
stand. I'm  not  really  mad.  I'm  just  —  in  love 
with  you." 

tt 

She  smiled  at  him,  still  in  a  friendly  manner,  but 
her  face  had  clouded.  There  was  a  look  in  her  eyes 
almost  of  trouble,  perhaps  of  regret. 

"  I  am  so  sorry,"  she  murmured.  "  It  is  only  a 
sudden  feeling  on  your  part,  isn't  it?  You  have 


IN  THE  MISTS  95 

been  so  splendid  to-night  that  I  can  do  no  more  than 
thank  you  very,  very  much.  And  as  for  what  you 
have  told  me,  I  think  it  is  an  honour,  but  I  wish  you 
to  forget  it.  It  is  not  wise  for  you  to  think  of  me 
In  that  way.  I  fear  that  I  cannot  even  offer  you  my 
friendship." 

Again  there  was  a  brief  silence.  The  clamour  of 
exclamations  from  the  little  groups  of  people  still 
filled  the  air  outside.  They  could  hear  cars  coming 
and  going.  The  man  whom  Hunterleys  and  Mr. 
Grex  were  tying  up  was  still  groaning  and  cursing. 

"  Are  you  married  ?  "  Richard  asked  abruptly. 

She  shook  her  head. 

"Engaged?" 

"No!" 

"  Do  you  care  very  much  for  any  one  else?  " 

"  No !  "  she  told  him  softly. 

He  drew  her  away. 

"  Come  outside  for  one  moment,"  he  begged.  "  I 
hate  to  see  you  in  the  place  where  that  beast  tried  to 
lay  hands  upon  you.  Here  is  your  necklace." 

He  picked  it  up  from  her  feet  and  she  followed  him 
obediently  outside.  People  were  standing  about, 
shadowy  figures  in  little  groups.  Some  of  the  cars 
had  already  left,  others  were  being  prepared  for  a 
start.  Below,  once  more  the  clouds  had  parted  and 
the  lights  twinkled  like  fireflies  through  the  trees. 
This  time  they  could  even  see  the  lights  from  the  vil- 
lage of  La  Turbie,  less  brilliant  but  almost  at  their 
feet.  Richard  glanced  upwards.  There  was  a  star 
clearly  visible. 

"  The  clouds  are  lifting,"  he  said.  "  Listen.  If 
there  is  no  one  else,  tell  me,  why  there  shouldn't  be 


96          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

the  slightest  chance  for  me?  I  am  not  clever,  I  am 
nobody  of  any  account,  but  I  care  for  you  so  won- 
derfully. I  love  you,  I  always  shall  love  you,  more 
than  any  one  else  could.  I  never  understood  before, 
but  I  understand  now.  Just  this  caring  means  so 
much." 

She  stood  close  to  his  side.  Her  manner  at  the 
same  time  seemed  to  depress  him  and  yet  to  fill  him 
with  hope. 

"  What  is  your  name?  "  she  enquired. 

"  Richard  Lane,"  he  told  her.  "  I  am  an  Amer- 
ican." 

"  Then,  Mr.  Richard  Lane,"  she  continued  softly, 
"  I  shall  always  think  of  you  and  think  of  to-night 
and  think  of  what  you  have  said,  and  perhaps  I  shall 
be  a  little  sorry  that  what  you  have  asked  me  can- 
not be." 

"  Cannot?  "  he  muttered. 

She  shook  her  head  almost  sadly. 

"  Some  day,"  she  went  on,  "  as  soon  as  our  stay 
in  Monte  Carlo  is  finished,  if  you  like,  I  will  write 
and  tell  you  the  real  reason,  in  case  you  do  not  find 
it  out  before." 

He  was  silent,  looking  downwards  to  where  the 
gathering  wind  was  driving  the  clouds  before  it,  to 
where  the  lights  grew  clearer  and  clearer  at  every 
moment. 

"  Does  it  matter,"  he  asked  abruptly,  "  that  I  am 
rich  —  very  rich  ?  " 

"  It  does  not  matter  at  all,"  she  answered. 

"  Doesn't  it  matter,"  he  demanded,  turning  sud- 
denly upon  her  and  speaking  with  a  new  passion,  al- 
most a  passion  of  resentment,  "  doesn't  it  matter 


IN  THE  MISTS  97 

that  without  you  life  doesn't  exist  for  me  any 
longer?  Doesn't  it  matter  that  a  man  has  given 
you  his  whole  heart,  however  slight  a  thing  it  may 
seem  to  you?  What  am  I  to  do  if  you  send  me 
away?  There  isn't  anything  left  in  life." 

"  There  is  what  you  have  always  found  in  it,"  she 
reminded  him. 

"  There  isn't,"  he  replied  fiercely.  "  That's  just 
what  there  isn't.  I  should  go  back  to  a  world  that 
was  like  a  dead  city." 

He  suddenly  felt  her  hand  upon  his. 

"  Dear  Mr.  Lane,"  she  begged,  "  wait  for  a  little 
time  before  you  nurse  these  sad  thoughts,  and  when 
3Tou  know  how  impossible  what  you  ask  is,  it  will 
seem  easier.  But  if  you  really  care  to  hear  some- 
thing, if  it  would  really  please  you  sometimes 
to  think  of  it  when  you  are  alone  and  you  re- 
member this  little  foolishness  of  yours,  let  me  tell 
you,  if  I  may,  that  I  am  sorry  —  I  am  very  sorry." 

His  hand  was  suddenly  pressed,  and  then,  before 
he  could  stop  her,  she  had  glided  away.  He  moved 
a  step  to  follow  her  and  almost  at  once  he  was  sur- 
rounded. Lady  Hunterleys  patted  him  on  the  shoul- 
der. 

"  Really,"  she  exclaimed,  "  you  and  Henry  were 
our  salvation.  I  haven't  felt  so  thrilled  for  ages. 
I  only  wish,"  she  added,  dropping  her  voice  a  little, 
"  that  it  might  bring  you  the  luck  you  deserve." 

He  answered  vaguely.  She  turned  back  to  Hun- 
terleys. She  was  busy  tearing  up  her  handker- 
chief. 

"  I  am  going  to  tie  up  your  head,"  she  said. 
**  Please  stoop  down." 


98          MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

He  obeyed  at  once.  The  side  of  his  forehead 
was  bleeding  where  a  bullet  from  the  revolver  of  the 
man  he  had  captured  had  grazed  his  temple. 

"  Too  bad  to  trouble  you,"  he  muttered. 

"  It's  the  least  we  can  do,"  she  declared,  laughing 
nervously.  "  Forgive  me  if  my  fingers  tremble.  It 
is  the  excitement  of  the  last  few  minutes." 

Hunterleys  stood  quite  still.  Words  seemed  diffi- 
cult to  him  just  then. 

"  You  were  very  brave,  Henry,"  she  said  quietly. 
*'  Whom  —  whom  are  you  going  down  with?  " 

"  I  am  with  Richard  Lane,"  he  answered,  "  in  his 
two-seated  racer." 

She  bit  her  lip. 

"  I  did  not  mean  to  come  alone  with  Mr.  Dracon- 
meyer,  really,"  she  explained.  "  He  thought,  up  to 
the  last  moment,  that  his  wife  would  be  well  enough 
to  come." 

"  Did  he  really  believe  so,  do  you  think  ?  "  Hunter- 
leys  asked. 

A  voice  intervened.  Mr.  Draconmeyer  was  stand- 
ing by  their  side. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  we  might  as  well  resume  our 
journey.  We  all  look  and  feel,  I  think,  as  though 
we  had  been  taking  part  in  a  scene  from  some  opera 
bouffe." 

Lady  Hunterleys  shivered.  She  had  drawn  a  lit- 
tle closer  to  her  husband.  Her  coat  was  unfastened. 
Hunterleys  leaned  towards  her  and  buttoned  it  with 
strong  fingers  up  to  her  throat. 

"  Thank  you,"  she  whispered.  "  You  wouldn't 
* —  you  couldn't  drive  down  with  us,  could  you  ?  " 

"  Have  you  plenty  of  room  ?  "  he  enquired. 


IN  THE  MISTS  99 

"  Plenty,"  she  declared  eagerly.  "  Mr.  Dracon- 
meyer  and  I  are  alone." 

For  a  moment  Hunterleys  hesitated.  Then  he 
caught  the  smile  upon  the  face  of  the  man  he  de- 
tested. 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said,  "  I  don't  think  I  can  desert 
Lane." 

She  stiffened  at  once.  Her  good  night  was  almost 
formal.  Hunterleys  stepped  into  the  car  which 
Richard  had  brought  up.  There  was  just  a  slight 
mist  around  them,  but  the  whole  country  below, 
though  chaotic,  was  visible,  and  the  lights  on  the 
hill-side,  from  La  Turbie  down  to  the  sea-board, 
were  in  plain  sight. 

"  Our  troubles,"  Hunterleys  remarked,  as  they 
glided  off,  "  seem  to  be  over." 

"  Maybe,"  Lane  replied  grimly.  "  Mine  seem  to 
be  only  just  beginning!" 


CHAPTER  X 

SIGNS    OF    TROUBLE 

At  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning,  Hunterleys 
crossed  the  sunlit  gardens  towards  the  English  bank, 
to  receive  what  was,  perhaps,  the  greatest  shock  of 
his  life.  A  few  minutes  later  he  stood  before  the  ma- 
hogany counter,  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  half  sheet 
of  notepaper  which  the  manager  had  laid  before  him. 
The  words  were  few  enough  and  simple  enough,  yet 
they  constituted  for  him  a  message  written  in  the 
very  ink  of  tragedy.  The  notepaper  was  the  note- 
paper  of  the  Hotel  de  Paris,  the  date  the  night  be- 
fore, the  words  few  and  unmistakable : 

To  the  Manager  of  the  English  Bank. 
Please  hand  my  letters  to  bearer. 

HENRY  HUNTERLEYS. 

He  read  it  over,  letter  by  letter,  word  by  word. 
Then  at  last  he  looked  up.  His  voice  sounded,  even 
to  himself,  unnatural. 

"  You  were  quite  right,"  he  said.  "  This  order 
is  a  forgery." 

The  manager  was  greatly  disturbed.  He  threw 
open  the  door  of  his  private  office. 

*'  Come  and  sit  down  for  a  moment,  will  you,  Sir 
Henry?  "  he  invited.  "  This  is  a  very  serious  mat- 
ter, and  I  should  like  to  discuss  it  with  you." 


SIGNS  OF  TROUBLE  lor 

They  passed  behind  into  the  comfortable  little 
sitting-room,  smelling  of  morocco  leather  and  roses, 
with  its  single  high  window,  its  broad  writing-table, 
its  carefully  placed  easy-chairs.  Men  had  pleaded! 
in  here  with  all  the  eloquence  at  their  command,  men 
of  every  rank  and  walk  in  life,  thieves,  nobles,  ruined 
men  and  pseudo-millionaires,  always  with  the  same 
cry  —  money;  money  for  the  great  pleasure-mill 
which  day  and  night  drew  in  its  own.  Hunterleys1 
sank  heavily  into  a  chair.  The  manager  seated  him- 
self in  an  official  attitude  before  his  desk. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  have  distressed  you  with  this  let- 
ter, Sir  Henry,"  he  said.  "  However,  you  must  ad- 
mit that  things  might  have  been  worse.  It  is  for- 
tunately our  invariable  custom,  when  letters  are 
addressed  to  one  of  our  clients  in  our  care,  to  deliver 
them  to  no  one  else  under  any  circumstances.  If 
you  had  been  ill,  for  instance,  I  should  have  brought 
you  your  correspondence  across  to  the  hotel,  but  I 
should  not  have  delivered  it  to  your  own  secretary. 
That,  as  I  say,  is  our  invariable  rule,  and  we  find 
that  it  has  saved  many  of  our  clients  from  incon- 
venience. In  your  case,"  the  manager  concluded 
impressively,  "  your  communications  being,  in  a 
sense,  official,  any  such  attempt  as  has  been  made 
would  not  stand  the  slightest  chance  of  success. 
We  should  be  even  more  particular  than  in  any  ordi- 
nary case  to  see  that  by  no  possible  chance  could  any 
correspondence  addressed  to  you,  fall  into  other 
hands." 

Hunterleys  began  to  recover  himself  a  little.  He 
drew  towards  himself  the  heap  of  letters  which  the 
manager  had  laid  by  his  side. 


102        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Please  make  yourself  quite  comfortable  here," 
the  latter  begged.  "  Read  your  letters  and  answer 
them,  if  you  like,  before  you  go  out.  I  always  call 
this,"  he  added,  with  a  smile,  "  the  one  inviolable 
sanctuary  of  Monte  Carlo." 

"  You  are  very  kind,"  Hunterleys  replied.  '*  Are 
you  sure  that  I  am  not  detaining  you?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least.  Personally,  I  am  not  at  all 
busy.  Three-quarters  of  our  business,  you  see,  is 
merely  a  matter  of  routine.  I  was  just  going  to 
shut  myself  up  here  and  read  the  Times.  Have  a 
cigarette?  Here's  an  envelope  opener  and  a  waste- 
paper  basket.  Make  yourself  comfortable." 

Hunterleys  glanced  through  his  correspondence, 
rapidly  reading  and  destroying  the  greater  portion 
of  it.  He  came  at  last  to  two  parchment  envelopes 
marked  "  On  His  Majesty's  Service."  These  he 
opened  and  read  their  contents  slowly  and  with  great 
care.  When  he  had  finished,  he  produced  a  pair  of 
scissors  from  his  waistcoat  pocket  and  cut  the  letters 
into  minute  fragments.  He  drew  a  little  sigh  of  re- 
lief when  at  last  their  final  destruction  was  assured, 
and  rose  shortly  afterwards  to  his  feet. 

"  I  shall  have  to  go  on  to  the  telegraph  office,"  he 
said,  "  to  send  these  few  messages.  Thank  you  very 
much,  Mr.  Harrison,  for  your  kindness.  If  you  do 
not  mind,  I  should  like  to  take  this  forged  order 
away  with  me." 

The  manager  hesitated. 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  I  ought  to  part  with  it,"  he 
observed  doubtfully. 

"  Could  you  recognise  the  person  who  presented 
it  —  you  or  your  clerk  ?  " 


SIGNS  OF  TROUBLE  103 

The  manager  shook  his  head. 

"  Not  a  chance,"  he  replied.  "  It  was  brought 
in,  unfortunately,  before  I  arrived.  Young  Par- 
sons, who  was  the  only  one  in  the  bank,  explained 
that  letters  were  never  delivered  to  an  order,  and 
turned  away  to  attend  to  some  one  else  who  was  in 
a  hurry.  He  simply  remembers  that  it  was  a  man, 
and  that  is  all." 

"  Then  the  document  is  useless  to  you,"  Hunter- 
leys  pointed  out.  "  You  could  never  do  anything 
in  the  matter  without  evidence  of  identification,  and 
that  being  so,  if  you  don't  mind  I  should  like  to 
have  it." 

Mr.  Harrison  yielded  it  up. 

"  As  you  wish,"  he  agreed.  "  It  is  interesting, 
if  only  as  a  curiosity.  The  imitation  of  your  signa- 
ture is  almost  perfect." 

Hunterleys  took  up  his  hat.  Then  for  a  moment, 
with  his  hand  upon  the  door,  he  hesitated. 

"  Mr.  Harrison,"  he  said,  "  I  am  engaged  just 
now,  as  you  have  doubtless  surmised,  in  certain  in- 
vestigations on  behalf  of  the  usual  third  party  whom 
we  need  not  name.  Those  investigations  have 
reached  a  pitch  which  might  possibly  lead  me  into  a 
position  of  some  —  well,  I  might  almost  say  danger. 
You  and  I  both  know  that  there  are  weapons  in  this 
place  which  can  be  made  use  of  by  persons  wholly 
without  scruples,  which  are  scarcely  available  at 
home.  I  want  you  to  keep  your  eyes  open.  I  have 
very  few  friends  here  whom  I  can  wholly  trust.  It 
is  my  purpose  to  call  in  here  every  morning  at  ten 
o'clock  for  my  letters,  and  if  I  fail  to  arrive  within 
half-an-hour  of  that  time  without  having  given  you 


104        MR-  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

verbal  notice,  something  will  have  happened  to  me. 
You  understand  what  I  mean?  " 

"  You  mean  that  you  are  threatened  with  assas- 
sination ?  "  the  manager  asked  gravely. 

"  Practically  it  amounts  to  that,"  Hunterleys 
admitted.  "  I  received  a  warning  letter  this  morn- 
ing. There  is  a  very  important  matter  on  foot  here, 
Mr.  Harrison,  a  matter  so  important  that  to  bring 
it  to  a  successful  conclusion  I  fancy  that  those  who 
are  engaged  in  it  would  not  hesitate  to  face  any  risk. 
I  have  wired  to  England  for  help.  If  anything  hap- 
pens that  it  comes  too  late,  I  want  you,  when  you  find 
that  I  have  disappeared,  even  if  my  disappearance 
is  only  a  temporary  matter,  to  let  them  know  in  Lon- 
don —  you  know  how  —  at  once." 

The  manager  nodded. 

"  I  will  do  so,"  he  promised.  "  I  trust,  however,'* 
he  went  on,  "  that  you  are  exaggerating  the  danger. 
Mr.  Billson  lived  here  for  many  years  without  any 
trouble." 

Hunterleys  smiled  slightly. 

"  I  am  not  a  Secret  Service  man,"  he  explained. 
"  Billson's  successor  lives  here  now,  of  course,  and 
is  working  with  me,  under  the  usual  guise  of  news- 
paper correspondent.  I  don't  think  that  he  will 
come  to  any  harm.  But  I  am  here  in  a  somewhat 
different  position,  and  my  negotiations  in  the  east, 
during  the  last  few  weeks,  have  made  me  exceedingly 
unpopular  with  some  very  powerful  people.  How- 
ever, it  is  only  an  outside  chance,  of  course,  that  I 
wish  to  guard  against.  I  rely  upon  you,  if  I  should 
fail  to  come  to  the  bank  any  one  morning  without 
giving  you  notice,  to  do  as  I  have  asked." 


SIGNS  OF  TROUBLE  105 

Hunterleys  left  the  bank  and  walked  out  once 
more  into  the  sunlight.  He  first  of  all  made  his  way 
down  to  the  Post  Office,  where  he  rapidly  dispatched 
several  cablegrams  which  he  had  coded  and  written 
out  in  Mr.  Harrison's  private  office.  Afterwards  he 
went  on  to  the  Terrace,  and  finding  a  retired  seat 
at  the  further  end,  sat  down.  Then  he  drew  the 
forged  order  once  more  from  his  pocket.  Word  by 
word,  line  by  line,  he  studied  it,  and  the  more  he 
studied  it,  the  more  hopeless  the  whole  thing  seemed. 
The  handwriting,  with  the  exception  of  the  signa- 
ture, which  was  a  wonderful  imitation  of  his  own, 
was  the  handwriting  of  his  wife.  She  had  done  this 
thing  at  Draconmeyer's  instigation,  done  this  thing 
against  her  husband,  taken  sides  absolutely  with  the 
man  whom  he  had  come  to  look  upon  as  his  enemy! 
What  inference  was  he  to  draw?  He  sat  there, 
looking  out  over  the  Mediterranean,  soft  and  blue, 
glittering  with  sunlight,  breaking  upon  the  yellow 
stretch  of  sand  in  little  foam-flecked  waves  no  higher 
than  his  hand.  He  watched  the  sunlight  glitter  on 
the  white  houses  which  fringed  the  bay.  He  looked 
idly  up  at  the  trim  little  vineyards  on  the  brown 
hill-side.  It  was  the  beauty  spot  of  the  world. 
There  was  no  object  upon  which  his  eyes  could  rest, 
which  was  not  beautiful.  The  whole  place  was  like 
a  feast  of  colour  and  form  and  sunshine.  Yet  for 
him  the  light  seemed  suddenly  to  have  faded  from 
life.  Danger  had  only  stimulated  him,  had  helped 
him  to  cope  with  the  dull  pain  which  he  had  carried 
about  with  him  during  the  last  few  months.  He  was 
face  to  face  now  with  something  else.  It  was  worse, 
this,  than  anything  he  had  dreamed.  Somehow  or 


106        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

other,  notwithstanding  the  growing  estrangement 
with  his  wife  which  had  ended  in  their  virtual  sepa- 
ration, he  had  still  believed  in  her,  still  had  faith  in 
her,  still  had  hope  of  an  ultimate  reconciliation. 
And  behind  it  all,  he  had  loved  her.  It  seemed  at 
that  moment  that  a  nightmare  was  being  formed 
around  him.  A  new  horror  was  creeping  into  his 
thoughts.  He  had  felt  from  the  first  a  bitter  dislike 
of  Draconmeyer.  Now,  however,  he  realised  that 
this  feeling  had  developed  into  an  actual  and  harrow- 
ing jealousy.  He  realised  that  the  man  was  no 
passive  agent.  It  was  Draconmeyer  who,  with  sub- 
tle purpose,  was  drawing  his  wife  away!  Hunter- 
leys  sprang  to  his  feet  and  walked  angrily  backwards 
and  forwards  along  the  few  yards  of  Terrace,  which 
happened  at  that  moment  to  be  almost  deserted. 
Vague  plans  of  instant  revenge  upon  Draconmeyer 
floated  into  his  mind.  It  was  simple  enough  to  take 
the  law  into  his  own  hands,  to  thrash  him  publicly, 
to  make  Monte  Carlo  impossible  for  him.  And  then, 
suddenly,  he  remembered  his  duty.  They  were  trust- 
ing him  in  Downing  Street.  Chance  had  put  into 
his  hands  so  many  threads  of  this  diabolical  plot. 
It  was  for  him  to  checkmate  it.  He  was  the  only 
person  who  could  checkmate  it.  This  was  no  time 
for  him  to  think  of  personal  revenge,  no  time  for  him 
to  brood  over  his  own  broken  life.  There  was  work 
still  to  be  done  —  his  country's  work.  .  .  . 

He  felt  the  need  of  change  of  scene.  The  sight 
of  the  place  with  its  placid,  enervating  beauty,  its 
constant  appeal  to  the  senses,  was  beginning  to  have 
a  curious  effect  upon  his  nerves.  He  turned  back 
upon  the  Terrace,  and  by  means  of  the  least  fre- 


SIGNS  OF  TROUBLE  107 

quented  streets  he  passed  through  the  town  and  up 
towards  the  hills.  He  walked  steadily,  reckless  of 
time  or  direction.  He  had  lunch  at  a  small  inn  high 
above  the  road  from  Cannes,  and  it  was  past  three 
o'clock  when  he  turned  homewards.  He  had  found 
his  way  into  the  main  road  now  and  he  trudged 
along  heedless  of  the  dust  with  which  the  constant 
procession  of  automobiles  covered  him  all  the  while. 
The  exercise  had  done  him  good.  He  was  able  to 
keep  his  thoughts  focussed  upon  his  mission.  So 
far,  at  any  rate,  he  had  held  his  own.  His  dis- 
patches to  London  had  been  clear  and  vivid.  He 
had  told  them  exactly  what  he  had  feared,  he  had 
shown  them  the  inside  of  this  scheme  as  instinct  had 
revealed  it  to  him,  and  he  had  begged  for  aid.  One 
man  alone,  surrounded  by  enemies,  and  in  a  country 
where  all  things  were  possible,  was  in  a  parlous  po- 
sition if  once  the  extent  of  his  knowledge  were  sur- 
mised. So  far,  the  plot  had  not  yet  matured.  So 
far,  though  the  clouds  had  gathered  and  the  thunder 
was  muttering,  the  storm  had  not  broken.  The  rea- 
son for  that  he  knew  —  the  one  person  needed,  the 
one  person  for  whose  coming  all  these  plans  had  been 
made,  had  not  yet  arrived.  There  was  no  telling, 
however,  how  long  the  respite  might  last.  At  any 
moment  might  commence  this  conference,  whose 
avowed  purpose  was  to  break  at  a  single  blow,  a  sin- 
gle treacherous  but  deadly  blow,  the  Empire  whose 
downfall  Selingman  had  once  publicly  declared  was 
the  one  great  necessity  involved  by  his  country's  ex- 
pansion. .  .  . 

Hunterleys  quenched  his  thirst  at  a  roadside  cafe, 
sitting  out  upon  the  pavement  and  drinking  coarse 


io8        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

red  wine  and  soda-water.  Then  he  bought  a  packet 
of  black  cigarettes  and  continued  his  journey.  He 
was  within  sight  of  Monte  Carlo  when  for  the  twen- 
tieth time  he  had  to  step  to  the  far  side  of  the  path- 
way to  avoid  being  smothered  in  dust  by  an  advanc- 
ing automobile.  This  time,  by  some  chance,  he 
glanced  around,  attracted  by  the  piercing  character 
of  its  long-distance  whistle.  A  high-powered  grey 
touring  car  came  by,  travelling  at  a  great  pace. 
Hunterleys  stood  perfectly  rigid,  one  hand  grasping 
the  wall  by  the  side  of  which  he  stood.  Notwith- 
standing his  spectacles  and  the  thick  coating  of  dust 
upon  his  clothes,  the  solitary  passenger  of  the  car 
was  familiar  enough  to  him.  It  was  the  man  for 
whom  this  plot  had  been  prepared.  It  was  Paul 
Douaille,  the  great  Foreign  Minister  into  whose 
hands  even  the  most  cautious  of  Premiers  had  de- 
clared himself  willing  to  place  the  destinies  of  his 
country ! 

Hunterleys  pursued  the  road  no  longer.  He  took 
a  ticket  at  the  next  station  and  hurried  back  to 
Monte  Carlo.  He  went  first  to  his  room,  bathed  and 
changed,  and,  passing  along  the  private  passage, 
made  his  way  into  the  Sporting  Club.  The  first 
person  whom  he  saw,  seated  in  her  accustomed  place 
at  her  favourite  table,  was  his  wife.  She  beckoned 
him  to  come  over  to  her.  There  was  a  vacant  chair 
by  her  side  to  which  she  pointed. 

"  Thank  you,"  he  said,  "  I  won't  sit  down.  I 
don't  think  that  I  care  to  play  just  now.  You  are 
fortunate  this  afternoon,  I  trust  ?  " 

Something  in  his  face  and  tone  checked  that  rush 
of  altered  feeling  of  which  she  had  been  more  than 


SIGNS  OF  TROUBLE  109 

once  passionately  conscious  since  the  night  be- 
fore. 

"  I  am  hideously  out  of  luck,"  she  confessed 
slowly.  "  I  have  been  losing  all  day.  I  think  that 
I  shall  give  it  up." 

She  rose  wearily  to  her  feet  and  he  felt  a  sudden 
compassion  for  her.  She  was  certainly  looking  tired: 
Her  eyes  were  weary,  she  had  the  air  of  an  unhappy 
woman.  After  all,  perhaps  she  too  sometimes  knew 
what  loneliness  was. 

**  I  should  like  some  tea  so  much,"  she  added,  a  lit- 
tle piteously. 

He  opened  his  lips  to  invite  her  to  pass  through 
into  the  restaurant  with  him.  Then  the  memory  of 
that  forged  order  still  in  his  pocket,  flashed  into  his 
mind.  He  hesitated.  A  cold,  familiar  voice  at  his 
elbow  intervened. 

"  Are  you  quite  ready  for  tea,  Lady  Hunterleys  ? 
I  have  been  in  and  taken  a  table  near  the  window." 

Hunterleys  moved  at  once  on  one  side.  Dracon- 
meyer  bowed  pleasantly. 

"  Cheerful  time  we  had  last  night,  hadn't  we?  " 
he  remarked.  "  Glad  to  see  your  knock  didn't  lay 
you  up." 

Hunterleys  disregarded  his  wife's  glance.  He 
was  suddenly  furious. 

"  All  Monte  Carlo  seems  to  be  gossiping  about 
that  little  contretemps,"  Draconmeyer  continued. 
"  It  was  a  crude  sort  of  hold-up  for  a  neighbourhood 
of  criminals,  but  it  very  nearly  came  off.  Will  you 
have  some  tea  with  us  ?  " 

"  Do,  Henry,"  his  wife  begged. 

Once  again  he  hesitated.     Somehow  or  other,  he 


no        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

felt  that  the  moment  was  critical.  Then  a  hand  was 
laid  quietly  upon  his  arm,  a  man's  voice  whispered 
in  his  ear. 

"  Monsieur  will  be  so  kind  as  to  step  this  way  for 
a  moment  —  a  little  matter  of  business." 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  Hunterley s  demanded. 

"  The  Commissioner  of  Police,  at  monsieur's  serv- 


CHAPTER  XI 

HINTS    TO    HTTNTERLEYS 

Hunterleys,  in  accordance  with  his  request,  fol- 
lowed the  Commissioner  downstairs  into  one  of  the 
small  private  rooms  on  the  ground  floor.  The  lat- 
ter was  very  polite  but  very  official. 

"  Now  what  is  it  that  you  want?  "  Hunterleys 
asked,  a  little  brusquely,  as  soon  as  they  were  alone. 

The  representative  of  the  law  was  distinctly  mys- 
terious. He  had  a  brown  moustache  which  he  con- 
tinually twirled,  and  he  was  all  the  time  dropping 
his  voice  to  a  whisper. 

"  My  first  introduction  to  you  should  explain  my 
mission,  Sir  Henry,"  he  said.  "  I  hold  a  high  posi- 
tion in  the  police  here.  My  business  with  you,  how- 
ever, is  on  behalf  of  a  person  whom  I  will  not  name, 
but  whose  identity  you  will  doubtless  guess." 

"  Very  well,"  Hunterleys  replied.  "  Now  what  is 
the  nature  of  this  mission,  please?  In  plain  words, 
what  do  you  want  with  me?  " 

"  I  am  here  with  reference  to  the  affair  of  last 
night,"  the  other  declared. 

"  The  affair  of  last  night  ?  "  Hunterleys  repeated, 
frowning.  "  Well,  we  all  have  to  appear  or  be  rep- 
resented before  the  magistrates  to-morrow  morning. 
I  shall  send  a  lawyer." 


iia        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Quite  so !  Quite  so !  But  in  the  meantime, 
something  has  transpired.  You  and  the  young 
American,  Mr.  Richard  Lane,  were  the  only  two  who 
offered  any  resistance.  It  was  owing  to  you  two, 
in  fact,  that  the  plot  was  frustrated.  I  am  quite 
sure,  Sir  Henry,  that  every  one  agrees  with  me  in  ap- 
preciating your  courage  and  presence  of  mind." 

"  Thank  you,"  Hunterleys  replied.  "  Is  that  what 
you  came  to  say?  " 

The  other  shook  his  head. 

"  Unfortunately,  no,  monsieur !  I  am  here  to 
bring  you  certain  information.  The  chief  of  the 
gang,  Armand  Martin,  the  man  whom  you  attacked, 
became  suddenly  worse  a  few  hours  ago.  The  doc- 
tors suspect  internal  injuries,  injuries  inflicted  dur- 
ing his  struggle  with  you." 

"  I  am  very  sorry  to  hear  it,"  Hunterleys  said 
coolly.  "  On  the  other  hand,  he  asked  for  anything 
he  got." 

"  Unfortunately,"  the  Commissioner  continued, 
"  the  law  of  the  State  is  curiously  framed  in  such 
matters.  If  the  man  should  die,  as  seems  more  than 
likely,  your  legal  position,  Sir  Henry,  would  be  most 
uncomfortable.  Your  arrest  would  be  a  necessity, 
and  there  is  no  law  granting  what  I  believe  you  call 
bail  to  a  person  directly  or  indirectly  responsible 
for  the  death  of  another.  I  am  here,  therefore,  to 
give  you  what  I  may  term  an  official  warning.  Your 
absence  as  a  witness  to-morrow  morning  will  not  be 
commented  upon  —  events  of  importance  have  called 
you  back  to  England.  You  will  thereby  be  saved 
a  very  large  amount  of  annoyance,  and  the  authori- 
ties here  will  be  spared  the  most  regrettable  neces- 


HINTS  TO  HUNTERLEYS  113 

sity  of  having  to  deal  with  you  in  a  manner  unbefit- 
ting your  rank." 

Hunterleys  became  at  once  thoughtful.  The 
whole  matter  was  becoming  clear  to  him. 

"  I  see,"  he  observed.  "  This  is  a  warning  to  me 
to  take  my  departure.  Is  that  so  ?  " 

The  Commissioner  beamed  and  nodded  many 
times. 

"  You  have  a  quick  understanding,  Sir  Henry," 
he  declared.  "  Your  departure  to-night,  or  early 
to-morrow  morning,  would  save  a  good  deal  of  un- 
pleasantness. I  have  fulfilled  my  mission,  and  I 
trust  that  you  will  reflect  seriously  upon  the  mat- 
ter. It  is  the  wish  of  the  high  personage  whom  I 
represent,  that  no  inconvenience  whatever  should  be- 
fall so  distinguished  a  visitor  to  the  Principality. 
Good  day,  monsieur !  " 

The  official  took  his  leave  with  a  sweep  of  the  hat 
and  many  bows.  Hunterleys,  after  a  brief  hesita- 
tion, walked  out  into  the  sun-dappled  street.  It 
was  the  most  fashionable  hour  of  the  afternoon. 
Up  in  the  square  a  band  was  playing.  Outside,  two 
or  three  smart  automobiles  were  discharging  their 
freight  of  wonderfully-dressed  women  and  debonair 
men  from  the  villas  outside.  Suddenly  a  hand  fell 
upon  his  arm.  It  was  Richard  Lane  who  greeted 
him. 

"  Say,  where  are  you  off  to,  Sir  Henry?  "  he  in- 
quired. 

Hunterleys  laughed  a  little  shortly. 

"  Really,  I  scarcely  know,"  he  replied.  "  Back  to 
London,  if  I  am  wise,  I  suppose." 

"  Come  into  the  Club,"  Richard  begged. 


U4        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"I  have  just  left,"  Hunterleys  told  him.  "Be- 
sides, I  hate  the  place." 

"  Did  you  happen  to  notice  whether  Mr.  Grex  was 
in  there?  "  Richard  enquired. 

"  I  didn't  see  him,"  Hunterleys  answered. 
"  Neither,"  he  added  significantly,  "  did  I  see  Miss 
Grex." 

"  Well,  I  am  going  in  to  have  a  look  round,  any- 
way," Richard  decided.  "  You  might  come  along. 
There's  nothing  else  to  do  in  this  place  until  dinner- 
time." 

Hunterleys  suffered  himself  to  be  persuaded  and 
remounted  the  steps. 

"  Tell  me,  Lane,"  he  asked  curiously,  "  have  you 
heard  anything  about  any  of  the  victims  of  our  little 
struggle  last  night  —  I  mean  the  two  men  we  tac- 
kled? " 

Richard  shook  his  head. 

"  I  hear  that  mine  has  a  broken  wrist,"  he  said. 
"  Can't  say  I  am  feeling  very  badly  about  that ! " 

"  I've  just  been  told  that  mine  is  going  to  die," 
Hunterleys  continued. 

The  young  man  laughed  incredulously. 

"  Why,  I  went  over  the  prison  this  morning,"  he 
declared.  "  I  never  saw  such  a  healthy  lot  of  ruf- 
fians in  my  life.  That  chap  whom  you  tackled  — 
the  one  with  the  revolver  —  was  smoking  cigarettes 
and  using  language  —  well,  I  couldn't  understand  it 
all,  but  what  I  did  understand  was  enough  to  melt 
the  bars  of  his  prison." 

"  That's  odd,"  Hunterleys  remarked  drily.  "  Ac- 
cording to  the  police  commissioner  who  has  just  left 
me,  the  man  is  on  his  deathbed,  and  my  only  chance 


HINTS  TO  HUNTERLEYS  115 

of  escaping  serious  trouble  is  to  get  out  of  Monte 
Carlo  to-night." 

"  Are  you  going?  " 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head. 

"  It  would  take  a  great  deal  more  than  that  to 
move  me  just  now,"  he  said,  "  even  if  I  had  not  sus- 
pected from  the  first  that  the  man  was  lying." 

Richard  glanced  at  his  companion  a  little  curi- 
ously. 

"  I  shouldn't  have  said  that  you  were  having  such 
a  good  time,  Sir  Henry,"  he  observed ;  "  in  fact  I 
should  have  thought  you  would  have  been  rather 
glad  of  an  opportunity  to  slip  away." 

Hunterleys  looked  around  them.  They  had 
reached  the  top  of  the  staircase  and  were  in  sight 
of  the  dense  crowd  in  the  rooms. 

"  Come  and  have  a  drink,"  he  suggested.  "  A 
great  many  of  these  people  will  have  cleared  off  pres- 
ently." 

"  I'll  have  a  drink,  with  pleasure,"  Richard  an-, 
swered,  "  but  I  still  can't  see  why  you're  stuck  on 
this  place." 

They  strolled  into  the  bar  and  found  two  vacant 
places. 

"  My  dear  young  friend,"  Hunterleys  said,  as  he 
ordered  their  drinks,  "  if  you  were  an  Englishman 
instead  of  an  American,  I  think  that  I  would  give 
you  a  hint  as  to  the  reason  why  I  do  not  wish  to 
leave  Monte  Carlo  just  at  present." 

"  Can't  see  what  difference  that  makes,"  Richard 
declared.  "  You  know  I'm  all  for  the  old  country." 

"  I  wonder  whether  you  are,"  Hunterleys  remarked 
thoughtfully.  "  I  tell  you  frankly  that  if  I  thought 


Ii6        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

you  meant  it,  I  should  probably  come  to  you  before 
long  for  a  little  help." 

"  If  ever  you  do,  I'm  your  man,"  Richard  assured 
him  heartily.  "  Any  more  scraps  going?  " 

Hunterleys  sipped  his  whisky  and  soda  thought- 
fully. There  had  been  an  exodus  from  the  room 
to  watch  some  heavy  gambling  at  Trente  et  Quar- 
ante,  and  for  a  moment  they  were  almost  alone. 

"  Lane,"  he  said,  "  I  am  going  to  take  you  a  little 
into  my  confidence.  In  a  way  I  suppose  it  is  fool- 
ish, but  to  tell  you  the  truth,  I  am  almost  driven  to 
it.  You  know  that  I  am  a  Member  of  Parliament, 
and  you  may  have  heard  that  if  our  Party  hadn't 
gone  out  a  few  years  ago,  I  was  to  have  been  For- 
eign Minister." 

"  I've  heard  that  often  enough,"  Lane  assented. 
"  I've  heard  you  quoted,  too,  as  an  example  of  the 
curse  of  party  politics.  Just  because  you  are  forced 
to  call  yourself  a  member  of  one  Party  you  are  de- 
barred from  serving  your  country  in  any  capacity 
until  that  Party  is  in  power." 

"  That's  quite  true,"  Hunterleys  admitted,  "  and 
to  tell  you  the  truth,  ridiculous  though  it  seems,  I 
don't  see  how  you're  to  get  away  from  it  in  a  prac- 
tical manner.  Anyhow,  when  my  people  came  out 
I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  wasn't  going  to  just  sit 
still  in  Opposition  and  find  fault  all  the  time,  espe- 
cially as  we've  a  real  good  man  at  the  Foreign  Of- 
fice. I  was  quite  content  to  leave  things  in  his  hands, 
but  then,  you  see,  politically  that  meant  that  there 
was  nothing  for  me  to  do.  I  thought  matters  over 
and  eventually  I  paired  for  six  months  and  was 
supposed  to  go  off  for  the  benefit  of  my  health.  A& 


HINTS  TO  HUNTERLEYS  117 

a  matter  of  fact,  I  have  been  in  the  Balkan  States 
since  Christmas,"  he  added,  dropping  his  voice  a 
little. 

"  What  the  dickens  have  you  been  doing  there  ?  " 

"  I  can't  tell  you  that  exactly,"  Hunterleys  re- 
plied. "  Unfortunately,  my  enemies  are  suspicious 
and  they  have  taken  to  watching  me  closely.  They 
pretty  well  know  what  I  am  going  to  tell  you  — 
that  I  have  been  out  there  at  the  urgent  request  of 
the  Secret  Service  Department  of  the  present  Gov- 
ernment. I  have  been  in  Greece  and  Servia  and  Rou- 
mania,  and,  although  I  don't  think  there's  a  soul  in 
the  world  knows,  I  have  also  been  in  St.  Peters- 
burg." 

"  But  what's  it  all  about  ?  "  Richard  persisted. 
"  What  have  you  been  doing  in  all  these  places  ?  " 

"  I  can  only  answer  you  broadly,"  Hunterleys 
went  on.  "  There  is  a  perfectly  devilish  scheme 
afloat,  directed  against  the  old  country.  I  have 
been  doing  what  I  can  to  counteract  it.  At  the  last 
moment,  just  as  I  was  leaving  Sofia  for  London,  by 
the  merest  chance  I  discovered  that  the  scene  for  the 
culmination  of  this  little  plot  was  to  be  Monte  Carlo, 
so  I  made  my  way  round  by  Trieste,  stayed  at  Bor- 
dighera  and  San  Remo  for  a  few  days  to  put  people 
off,  and  finally  turned  up  here." 

"Well,  I'm  jiggered!"  Lane  muttered.  "And  I 
thought  you  were  just  hanging  about  for  your 
health  or  because  your  wife  was  here,  and  were  bored 
to  death  for  want  of  something  to  do." 

"  On  the  contrary,"  Hunterleys  assured  him,  "  I 
was  up  all  night  sending  reports  home  —  very  inter- 
esting reports,  too.  I  got  them  away  all  right,  but 


u8        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

there's  no  denying  the  fact  that  there  are  certain 
people  in  Monte  Carlo  at  the  present  moment  who 
suspect  my  presence  here,  and  who  would  go  to  any 
lengths  whatever  to  get  rid  of  me.  It  isn't  the  actual 
harm  I  might  do,  but  they  have  to  deal  with  a  very 
delicate  problem  and  to  make  a  bargain  with  a  very 
sensitive  person,  and  they  are  terribly  afraid  that 
my  presence  here,  and  a  meeting  between  me  and  that 
person,  might  render  all  their  schemes  abortive." 

Richard's  face  was  a  study  in  astonishment. 

"  Well,"  he  exclaimed,  "  this  beats  everything ! 
I've  read  of  such  things,  of  course,  but  one  only  half 
believes  them.  Right  under  our  very  noses,  too! 
Say,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it,  Sir  Henry  ?  " 

"  There  is  only  one  thing  I  can  do,"  Hunterleys 
replied  grimly.  "  I  am  bound  to  keep  my  place  here. 
They'll  drive  me  out  if  they  can.  I  am  convinced 
that  the  polite  warning  I  have  received  to  leave 
Monaco  this  afternoon  because  of  last  night's  affair, 
is  part  of  the  conspiracy.  In  plain  words,  I've  got 
to  stick  it  out." 

"  But  what  good  are  you  doing  here,  anyway  ?  " 

Hunterleys  smiled  and  glanced  carefully  around 
the  room.  They  were  still  free  from  any  risk  of  be- 
ing overheard. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  perhaps  you  will  understand 
my  meaning  more  clearly  if  I  tell  you  that  I  am  the 
brains  of  a  counterplot.  The  English  Secret  Serv- 
ice has  a  permanent  agent  here  under  the  guise  of  a 
newspaper  correspondent,  who  is  in  daily  touch  with 
me,  and  he  in  his  turn  has  several  spies  at  work.  I 
am,  however,  the  dangerous  person.  The  others  are 
only  servants.  They  make  their  reports,  but  they 


HINTS  TO  HUNTERLEYS  119 

don't  understand  their  true  significance.  If  these 
people  could  remove  me  before  any  one  else  could  ar- 
rive to  take  my  place,  their  chances  of  bringing  off! 
their  coup  here  would  be  immensely  improved." 

"  I  suppose  it's  useless  for  me  to  ask  if  there's  any- 
thing I  can  do  to  help  ?  "  Richard  enquired. 

"  You've  helped  already,"  Hunterleys  replied.  "  I 
have  been  nearly  three  months  without  being  able 
to  open  my  lips  to  a  soul.  People  call  me  secretive, 
but  I  feel  very  human  sometimes.  I  know  that  not 
a  word  of  what  I  have  said  will  pass  your  lips." 

"  Not  a  chance  of  it,"  Richard  promised  earnestly. 
"  But  look  here,  can't  I  do  something?  If  I  am  not 
an  Englishman,  I'm  all  for  the  Anglo-Saxons.  I 
hate  these  foreigners  —  that  is  to  say  the  men,"  he 
corrected  himself  hastily. 

Hunterleys  smiled. 

"  Well,  I  was  coming  to  that,"  he  said.  "  I  do 
feel  hideously  alone  here,  and  what  I  would  like  you 
to  do  is  just  this.  I  would  like  you  to  call  at  my 
room  at  the  Hotel  de  Paris,  number  189,  every  morn- 
ing at  a  certain  fixed  hour  —  say  half-past  ten. 
Just  shake  hands  with  me  —  that's  all.  Nothing 
shall  prevent  my  being  visible  to  you  at  that  hour. 
Under  no  consideration  whatever  will  I  leave  any 
message  that  I  am  engaged  or  have  gone  out.  If  I 
am  not  to  be  seen  when  you  make  your  call,  something 
has  happened  to  me." 

"  And  what  am  I  to  do  then?  " 

"  That  is  the  point,"  Hunterleys  continued.  "  I 
don't  want  to  bring  you  too  deeply  into  this  matter. 
All  that  you  need  do  is  to  make  your  way  to  the  Eng- 
lish Bank,  see  Mr.  Harrison,  the  manager,  and  tell 


120        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

him  of  your  fruitless  visit  to  me.  He  will  give  you  a 
letter  to  my  wife  and  will  know  what  other  steps  to 
take." 

"  Is  that  all? "  Richard  asked,  a  little  disap- 
pointed. "  You  don't  anticipate  any  scrapping,  or 
anything  of  that  sort?  " 

"  I  don't  know  what  to  anticipate,"  Hunterleys 
confessed,  a  little  wearily.  "  Things  are  moving  fast 
now  towards  the  climax.  I  promise  I'll  come  to  you 
for  help  if  I  need  it.  You  can  but  refuse." 

"  No  fear  of  my  refusing,"  Richard  declared 
heartily.  "  Not  on  your  life,  sir !  " 

Hunterleys  rose  to  his  feet  with  an  appreciative 
little  nod.  It  was  astonishing  how  cordially  he  had 
come  to  feel  towards  this  young  man,  during  the  last 
few  hours. 

"  I'll  let  you  off  now,"  he  said.  "  I  know  you 
want  to  look  around  the  tables  and  see  if  any  of  our 
friends  of  last  night  are  to  be  found.  I,  too,  have  a 
little  affair  which  I  ought  to  have  treated  differently 
a  few  minutes  ago.  We'll  meet  later." 

Hunterleys  strolled  back  into  the  rooms.  He 
came  almost  at  once  face  to  face  with  Draconmeyer, 
whom  he  was  passing  with  unseeing  eyes.  Dracon- 
meyer. however,  detained  him. 

"  I  was  looking  for  you,  Sir  Henry !  "  he  exclaimed. 
"  Can  you  spare  me  one  moment  ?  " 

They  stood  a  little  on  one  side,  out  of  the  way  of 
the  moving  throng  of  people.  Draconmeyer  was  fin- 
gering nervously  his  tie  of  somewhat  vivid  purple. 
His  manner  was  important. 

"  Do  you  happen,  Sir  Henry,"  he  asked,  "  to  have 
had  any  word  from  the  prison  authorities  to-day  ?  " 


HINTS  TO  HUNTERLEYS  121 

Hunterleys  nodded. 

"  I  have  just  received  a  message,"  he  replied.  "  I 
understand  that  the  man  with  whom  I  had  a  strug- 
gle last  night  has  received  some  internal  injuries 
and  is  likely  to  die." 

Draconmeyer's  manner  became  more  mysterious. 
He  glanced  around  the  room  as  though  to  be  sure 
that  they  were  not  overheard. 

"  I  trust,  Sir  Henry,"  he  said,  "  that  you  will 
not  think  me  in  any  way  presumptuous  if  I  speak 
to  you  intimately.  I  have  never  had  the  privilege 
of  your  friendship,  and  in  this  unfortunate  disagree- 
ment between  your  wife  and  yourself  I  have  been 
compelled  to  accept  your  wife's  point  of  view,  owing 
to  the  friendship  between  Mrs.  Draconmeyer  and 
herself.  I  trust  you  will  believe,  however,  that  I 
have  no  feelings  of  hostility  towards  you." 

"  You  are  very  kind,"  Hunterleys  murmured. 

His  face  seemed  set  in  graven  lines.  For  all  the 
effect  the  other's  words  had  upon  him,  he  might  have 
been  wearing  a  mask. 

"  The  law  here  in  some  respects  is  very  curious," 
Draconmeyer  continued.  "  Some  of  the  statutes 
have  been  unaltered  for  a  thousand  years.  I  have 
been  given  to  understand  by  a  person  who  knows, 
that  if  this  man  should  die,  notwithstanding  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case,  you  might  find  yourself  in 
an  exceedingly  awkward  position.  If  I  might  ven- 
ture, therefore,  to  give  you  a  word  of  disinterested 
advice,  I  would  suggest  that  you  return  to  England 
at  once,  if  only  for  a  week  or  so." 

His  eyes  had  narrowed.  Through  his  spectacles? 
he  was  watching  intently  for  the  effect  of  his  words. 


122        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Hunterleys,  however,  only  nodded  thoughtfully,  as 
though  to  some  extent  impressed  by  the  advice  he  had 
received. 

"  Very  likely  you  are  right,"  he  admitted.  "  I 
will  discuss  the  matter  with  my  wife." 

"  She  is  playing  over  there,"  Draconmeyer  pointed 
out.  "  And  while  we  are  talking  in  a  more  or  less 
friendly  fashion,"  he  went  on  earnestly,  "  might  I 
give  you  just  one  more  word  of  counsel?  For  the 
sake  of  the  friendship  which  exists  between  our  wives, 
I  feel  sure  you  will  believe  that  I  am  disinterested." 

He  paused.  Hunterleys'  expression  was  now  one 
of  polite  interest.  He  waited,  however,  for  the  other 
to  continue. 

"  I  wish  that  you  could  persuade  Lady  Hunter- 
leys  to  play  for  somewhat  lower  stakes." 

Hunterleys  was  genuinely  startled  for  a  moment. 

"  Do  you  mean  that  my  wife  is  gambling  beyond 
her  means  ?  "  he  asked. 

Draconmeyer  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  How  can  I  tell  that  ?  I  don't  know  what  her 
means  are,  or  yours.  I  only  know  that  she  changes 
mille  notes  more  often  than  I  change  louis,  and  it 
seems  to  me  that  her  luck  is  invariably  bad.  I 
think,  perhaps,  just  a  word  or  two  from  you,  who 
have  the  right  to  speak,  might  be  of  service." 

"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you  for  the  hint," 
Hunterleys  said  smoothly.  "  I  will  certainly  men- 
tion the  matter  to  her." 

"  And  if  I  don't  see  you  again,"  Draconmeyer  con- 
cluded, watching  him  closely,  "  good-bye !  " 

Hunterleys  did  not  appear  to  notice  the  tentative 
movement  of  the  other's  hand.  He  was  already  on 


HINTS  TO  HUNTERLEYS  123 

his  way  to  the  spot  where  his  wife  was  sitting.  Dra- 
conmeyer  watched  his  progress  with  inscrutable  face. 
Selingman,  who  had  been  sitting  near,  rose  and 
joined  him. 

"  Will  he  go  ?  "  he  whispered.  "  Will  our  friend 
take  this  very  reasonable  hint  and  depart?  " 

Draconmeyer's  eyes  were  still  fixed  upon  Hunter- 
leys'  slim,  self-possessed  figure.  His  forehead  was 
contorted  into  a  frown.  Somehow  or  other,  he  felt 
that  during  their  brief  interview  he  had  failed  to 
score;  he  had  felt  a  subtle,  underlying  note  of  con- 
tempt in  Hunterleys'  manner,  in  his  whole  attitude. 

"  I  do  not  know,"  he  replied  grimly.  "  I  only 
hope  that  if  he  stays,  we  shall  find  the  means  to  make 
him  regret  it !  " 


CHAPTER  XII 

"  I  CANNOT    GO  !  " 

Hunterleys  stood  for  several  minutes,  watching  hit 
wife's  play  from  a  new  point  of  view.  She  was  cer- 
tainly playing  high  and  with  continued  ill-fortune. 
For  the  first  time,  too,  he  noticed  symptoms  which 
disturbed  him.  She  sat  quite  motionless,  but  there 
was  an  unfamiliar  glitter  in  her  eyes  and  a  hardness 
about  her  mouth.  It  was  not  until  he  had  stood 
within  a  few  feet  of  her  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  an 
hour,  that  she  chanced  to  see  him. 

"  Did  you  want  me  ?  "  she  asked,  with  a  little 
start. 

"  There  is  no  hurry,"  he  replied.  "  If  jou  could 
spare  me  a  few  moments  later,  I  should  be  glad." 

She  rose  at  once,  thrusting  her  notes  and  gold 
into  the  satchel  which  she  was  carrying,  and  stood 
by  his  side.  She  was  very  elegantly  dressed  in 
black  and  white,  but  she  was  pale,  and,  watching  her 
with  a  new  intentness,  he  discovered  faint  violet  lines 
under  her  eyes,  as  though  she  had  been  sleeping  ill. 

"  I  am  rather  glad  you  came,"  she  said.  "  I  was 
having  an  abominable  run  of  bad  luck,  and  yet  I 
hated  to  give  up  my  seat  without  an  excuse.  What 
did  you  want,  Henry  ?  " 

"  I  should  like,"  he  explained,  "  to  talk  to  you 
for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  This  place  is  rathw 


"I  CANNOT  GO!"  125 

crowded  and  it  is  getting  on  my  nerves.  We  seem 
to  live  here,  night  and  day.  Would  you  object  to 
driving  with  me  —  say  as  far  as  Men  tone  and  back?  " 

"  I  will  come  if  you  wish  it,"  she  answered,  looking 
a  little  surprised.  "  Wait  while  I  get  my  cloak." 

Hunterleys  hired  an  automobile  below  and  they 
drove  off.  As  soon  as  they  were  out  of  the  main 
street,  he  thrust  his  hand  into  the  breast-pocket  of 
his  coat  and  smoothed  out  that  half-sheet  of  note- 
paper  upon  his  knee. 

"  Violet,"  he  said,  "  please  read  that." 

She  read  the  few  lines  instructing  the  English 
Bank  to  hand  over  Sir  Henry  Hunterleys'  letters  to 
the  bearer.  Then  she  looked  up  at  him  with  a  puz- 
zled frown. 

"  I  don't  understand." 

"  Did  you  write  that  ?  "  he  enquired. 

She  looked  at  him  indignantly. 

"  What  an  absurd  question ! "  she  exclaimed. 
"  Your  correspondence  has  no  interest  for  me." 

Her  denial,  so  natural,  so  obviously  truthful,  was 
a  surprise  to  him.  He  felt  a  sudden  impulse  of  joy, 
mingled  with  shame.  Perhaps,  after  all,  he  had 
been  altogether  too  censorious.  Once  more  he  di- 
rected her  attention  to  the  sheet  of  paper.  There 
was  a  marked  change  in  his  voice  and  manner. 

"  Violet,"  he  begged,  "  please  look  at  it.  Ac- 
cepting without  hesitation  your  word  that  you  did 
not  write  it,  doesn't  it  occur  to  you  that  the  body 
of  the  letter  is  a  distinct  imitation  of  your  hand- 
writing, and  the  signature  a  very  clever  forgery  of 
mine  ?  " 

"  It  is  rather  like  my  handwriting,"  she  admitted, 


126        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  and  as  for  the  signature,  do  you  mean  to  say  really 
that  that  is  not  yours?  " 

"  Certainly  not,"  he  assured  her.  "  The  whole 
thing  is  a  forgery." 

"  But  who  in  the  world  should  want  to  get  your 
letters  ? "  she  asked  incredulously.  "  And  why 
should  you  have  them  addressed  to  the  bank?" 

He  folded  up  the  paper  then  and  put  it  in  his 
pocket. 

"  Violet,"  he  said  earnestly,  "  for  the  disagree- 
ments which  have  resulted  in  our  separation  I  may 
myself  have  been  to  some  extent  responsible,  but  we 
have  promised  one  another  not  to  refer  to  them  again 
and  I  will  not  break  our  compact.  All  I  can  say  is 
that  there  is  much  in  my  life  which  you  know  little 
of,  and  for  which  you  do  not,  therefore,  make  suf- 
ficient allowance." 

"  Then  you  might  have  treated  me,"  she  declared, 
"  with  more  confidence." 

"  It  was  not  possible,"  he  reminded  her,  "  so  long 
as  you  chose  to  make  an  intimate  friend  of  a  man 
whose  every  interest  in  life  is  in  direct  antagonism  to 
mine." 

"  Mr.  Draconmeyer?  " 

"  Mr.  Draconmeyer,"  he  assented. 

She  smiled  contemptuously. 

"  You  misunderstand  Mr.  Draconmeyer  com- 
pletely," she  insisted.  "  He  is  your  well-wisher  and 
he  is  more  than  half  an  Englishman.  It  was  he  who 
started  the  league  between  English  and  German  com- 
mercial men  for  the  propagation  of  peace.  He 
formed  one  of  the  deputation  who  went  over  to  see 
the  Emperor.  He  has  done  more,  both  by  his 


"I  CANNOT  GO!"  127 

speeches  and  letters  to  the  newspaper,  to  promote  a 
good  understanding  between  Germany  and  England, 
than  any  other  person.  You  are  very  much  mis- 
taken about  Mr.  Draconmeyer,  Henry.  Why  you 
cannot  realise  that  he  is  simply  an  ordinary  com- 
mercial man  of  high  intelligence  and  most  agreeable 
manners,  I  cannot  imagine." 

"  The  fact  remains,  my  dear  Violet,"  Hunterleys 
said  emphatically,  "  that  it  is  not  possible  for  me  to 
treat  you  with  the  confidence  I  might  otherwise  have 
done,  on  account  of  your  friendship  with  Mr.  Dra- 
conmeyer." 

"  You  are  incorrigible !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Can 
we  change  the  subject,  please?  I  want  to  know  why 
you  showed  me  that  forged  letter?  " 

"  I  am  coming  to  that,"  he  told  her.  "  Please  be 
patient.  I  want  to  remind  you  of  something  else. 
So  far  as  I  remember,  my  only  request,  when  I  gave 
you  your  liberty  and  half  my  income,  was  that  your 
friendship  with  the  Draconmeyers  should  decrease. 
Almost  the  first  persons  I  see  on  my  arrival  in  Monte 
Carlo  are  you  and  Mr.  Draconmeyer.  I  learn  that 
you  came  out  with  them  and  that  you  are  staying  at 
the  same  hotel." 

"  Your  wish  was  an  unreasonable  one,"  she  pro- 
tested. "  Linda  and  I  were  school-girls  together. 
She  is  my  dearest  friend  and  she  is  a  hopeless  in- 
valid. I  think  that  if  I  were  to  desert  her  she  would 
die." 

"  I  have  every  sympathy  with  Mrs.  Draconmeyer," 
he  said  slowly,  "  but  you  are  my  wife.  I  am  going  to 
make  one  more  effort  —  please  don't  be  uneasy  —  not 
to  re-establish  any  relationship  between  us,  but  to 


128        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

open  your  eyes  as  to  the  truth  concerning  Mr.  Dra- 
conmeyer.  You  asked  me  a  moment  ago  why  I  had 
shown  you  that  forged  letter.  I  will  tell  you  now. 
It  was  Draconmeyer  who  was  the  forger." 

She  leaned  back  in  her  seat.  She  was  looking  at 
him  incredulously. 

"  You  mean  to  say  that  Mr.  Draconmeyer  wrote 
that  order  —  that  he  wanted  to  get  possession  of 
your  letters  ?  " 

"  Not  only  that,"  Hunterleys  continued,  "  but  he 
carried  out  the  business  in  such  a  devilish  manner 
as  to  make  me  for  a  moment  believe  that  it  was  you 
who  had  helped  him.  You  are  wrong  about  Dracon- 
meyer. The  man  is  a  great  schemer,  who  under 
the  pretence  of  occupying  an  important  commercial 
position  in  the  City  of  London,  is  all  the  time  a  se- 
cret agent  of  Germany.  He  is  there  in  her  inter- 
ests. He  studies  the  public  opinion  of  the  country. 
He  dissects  our  weaknesses.  He  is  there  to  point 
out  the  best  methods  and  the  opportune  time  for  the 
inevitable  struggle.  He  is  the  worst  enemy  to-day 
England  has.  You  think  that  he  is  here  in  Monte 
Carlo  on  a  visit  of  pleasure  —  for  the  sake  of  his 
wife,  perhaps.  Nothing  of  the  sort !  He  is  here  at 
this  moment  associated  with  an  iniquitous  scheme, 
the  particulars  of  which  I  can  tell  you  nothing  of. 
Furthermore,  I  repeat  what  I  told  you  on  our  first 
meeting  here  —  that  in  his  still,  cold  way  he  is  in 
love  with  you." 

"  Henry !  "  she  cried. 

"  I  cannot  see  how  you  can  remain  so  wilfully 
blind,"  Hunterleys  continued.  "  I  know  the  man  in- 
side out.  I  warned  you  against  him  in  London,  I 


"  I  CANNOT  GO !  "  129 

warn  you  against  him  now.  This  forged  letter  was 
designed  to  draw  us  further  apart.  The  little  brown 
man  who  has  dogged  your  footsteps  is  a  spy  em- 
ployed by  him  to  make  you  believe  that  I  was  having 
you  watched.  You  are  free  still  to  act  as  you  will, 
Violet,  but  if  you  have  a  spark  of  regard  for  me  or 
yourself,  you  will  go  back  to  London  at  once  and 
drop  this  odious  friendship." 

She  leaned  back  in  the  car.  They  had  turned 
round  now  and  were  on  the  way  back  to  Monte  Carlo 
by  the  higher  road.  She  sat  with  her  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  mountains.  Her  heart,  in  a  way,  had  been 
touched,  her  imagination  stirred  by  her  husband's 
words.  She  felt  a  return  of  that  glow  of  admira- 
tion which  had  thrilled  her  on  the  previous  night, 
when  he  and  Richard  Lane  alone  amongst  that  mot- 
ley company  had  played  the  part  of  men.  A 
curious,  almost  pathetic  wistfulness  crept  into  her 
heart.  If  only  he  would  lean  towards  her  at  that 
moment,  if  she  could  see  once  more  the  light  in  his 
eyes  that  had  shone  there  during  the  days  of  their 
courtship!  If  only  he  could  remember  that  it  was 
still  his  part  to  play  the  lover!  If  he  could  be  a 
little  less  grave,  a  little  less  hopelessly  correct  and 
fair!  Despite  her  efforts  to  disbelieve,  there  was 
something  convincing  about  his  words.  At  any  mo- 
ment during  that  brief  *pace  of  time,  a  single  trem- 
ulous word,  even  a  warm  clasp  of  the  hand,  would 
have  brought  her  into  his  arms.  But  so  much  of 
inspiration  was  denied  him.  He  sat  waiting  for  her 
decision  with  an  eagerness  of  which  he  gave  no  sign. 
Nevertheless,  the  fates  were  fighting  for  him.  She 
thought  gratefully,  even  at  that  moment,  yet  with 


i3o        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

less  enthusiasm  than  ever  before,  of  the  devout  horn* 
age,  the  delightful  care  for  her  happiness  and  com- 
fort, the  atmosphere  of  security  with  which  Dracon- 
meyer  seemed  always  to  surround  her.  Yet  all  this 
was  cold  and  unsatisfying,  a  poor  substitute  for  the 
other  things.  Henry  had  been  different  once.  Per- 
haps it  was  jealousy  which  had  altered  him.  Per- 
haps his  misconception  of  Draconmeyer's  character 
had  affected  his  whole  outlook.  She  turned  towards 
him,  and  her  voice,  when  she  spoke,  was  no  longer 
querulous. 

"  Henry,"  she  said,  "  I  cannot  admit  the  truth 
of  all  that  you  say  concerning  Mr.  Draconmeyer,  but 
tell  me  this.  If  I  were  willing  to  leave  this  place  to- 
night — " 

She  paused.  For  some  reason  a  sudden  embar- 
rassment had  seized  her.  The  words  seemed  to  come 
with  difficulty.  She  turned  ever  so  slightly  away 
from  him.  There  was  a  tinge  of  colour  at  last  in  her 
pale  cheeks.  She  seemed  to  him  now,  as  she  leaned 
a  little  forward  in  her  seat,  completely  beautiful. 

"  If  I  make  my  excuses  and  leave  Monte  Carlo 
to-night,"  she  went  on,  "  will  you  come  with  me  ?  " 

He  gave  a  little  start.  Something  in  his  eyes 
flashed  an  answer  into  her  face.  And  then  the  flood 
of  memory  came.  There  was  his  mission.  He  was 
tied  hand  and  foot. 

"  It  is  good  of  you  to  offer  that,  Violet,"  he  de- 
clared. "  If  I  could  —  if  only  I  could ! " 

Already  her  manner  began  to  change.  The  fear 
of  his  refusal  was  hateful,  her  lips  were  trembling. 

"  You  mean,"  she  faltered,  "  that  you  will  not 
come?  Listen.  Don't  misunderstand  me.  I  will 


"I  CANNOT  GO!"  131 

order  my  boxes  packed,  I  will  catch  the  eight  o'clock 
train  either  through  to  London  or  to  Paris  —  any- 
where. I  will  do  that  if  you  will  come.  There  is 
my  offer.  That  is  my  reply  to  all  that  you  have  said 
about  Mr.  Draconmeyer.  I  shall  lose  a  friend  who 
has  been  gentleness  and  kindness  and  consideration 
itself.  I  will  risk  that.  What  do  you  say?  Will 
you  come?  " 

"  Violet,  I  cannot,"  he  replied  hoarsely.  "  No, 
don't  turn  away  like  that ! "  he  begged.  "  Don't 
change  so  quickly,  please !  It  isn't  fair.  Listen.  I 
am  not  my  own  master." 

"  Not  your  own  master?  "  she  repeated  incredu- 
lously. "  What  do  you  mean?  " 

"  I  mean  that  I  am  here  in  Monte  Carlo  not  for 
my  own  pleasure.  I  mean  that  I  have  work,  a  pur- 
pose — " 

"  Absurd ! "  she  interrupted  him,  almost  harshly. 
"  There  is  nobody  who  has  any  better  claim  upon 
you  than  I  have.  You  are  over-conscientious  about 
other  things.  For  once  remember  your  duty  as  a 
husband." 

He  caught  her  wrist. 

"  You  must  trust  me  a  little,"  he  pleaded.  "  Be- 
lieve me  that  I  really  appreciate  your  offer.  If  I 
were  free  to  go,  I  should  not  hesitate  for  a  single 
second.  .  .  .  Can't  you  trust  me,  Violet  ?  "  he  im- 
plored, his  voice  softening. 

The  woman  within  her  was  fighting  on  his  side. 
She  stifled  her  wounded  feelings,  crushed  down  her 
disappointment  that  he  had  not  taken  her  at  once 
into  his  arms  and  answered  her  upon  her  lips. 

"  Trust  me,  then,"  she  replied.     "  If  you  refuse 


132        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

my  offer,  don't  hint  at  things  you  have  to  do.  Tell 
me  in  plain  words  why.  It  is  not  enough  for  you 
to  say  that  you  cannot  leave  Monte  Carlo.  Tell 
me  why  you  cannot,  I  have  invited  you  to  escort 
me  anywhere  you  will  —  I,  your  wife.  .  .  .  Shall  we 
go?" 

The  woman  had  wholly  triumphed.  Her  voice  had 
dropped,  the  light  was  in  her  eyes.  She  swayed  a 
little  towards  him.  His  brain  reeled.  She  was  once 
more  the  only  woman  in  the  world  for  him.  Once 
more  he  fancied  that  he  could  feel  the  clinging  of  her 
arms,  the  touch  of  her  lips.  These  things  were 
promised  in  her  face. 

"  I  tell  you  that  I  cannot  go ! "  he  cried  sharply. 
"  Believe  me  —  do  believe  me,  Violet !  " 

She  pulled  down  her  veil  suddenly.  He  caught  at 
her  hand.  It  lay  passively  in  his.  He  pleaded  for 
her  confidence,  but  the  moment  of  inspiration  had 
gone.  She  heard  him  with  the  air  of  one  who  listens 
no  longer.  Presently  she  stopped  him. 

"  Don't  speak  to  me  for  several  minutes,  please," 
she  begged.  "  Tell  him  to  put  me  down  at  the  hotel. 
I  can't  go  back  to  the  Club  just  yet." 

**  You  mustn't  leave  me  like  this,"  he  insisted. 

"  Will  you  tell  me  why  you  refuse  my  offer?  "  she 
asked. 

"  I  have  a  trust !  " 

The  automobile  had  come  to  a  standstill.  She 
rose  to  her  feet. 

"  I  was  once  your  trust,"  she  reminded  him,  as  she 
passed  into  the  hotel. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

MISS    GEEX   AT    HOME 

Richard  Lane,  as  he  made  his  way  up  the  avenue 
towards  the  Villa  Mimosa,  wondered  whether  he  was 
not  indeed  finding  his  way  into  fairyland.  On  either 
side  of  him  were  drooping  mimosa  trees,  heavy  with 
the  snaky,  orange-coloured  blossom  whose  perfumes 
hung  heavy  upon  the  windless  air.  In  the  back- 
ground, bordering  the  gardens  which  were  themselves 
a  maze  of  colour,  were  great  clumps  of  glorious  pur- 
ple rhododendrons,  drooping  clusters  of  red  and 
white  roses.  A  sudden  turn  revealed  a  long  per- 
gola, smothered  in  pink  blossoms  and  leading  to  the 
edge  of  the  terrace  which  overhung  the  sea.  The 
villa  itself,  which  seemed,  indeed,  more  like  a  palace,, 
was  covered  with  vivid  purple  clematis,  and  from 
the  open  door  of  the  winter-garden,  which  was  built 
out  from  the  front  of  the  place  in  a  great  curve, 
there  came,  as  he  drew  near,  a  bewildering  breath 
of  exotic  odours.  The  front-door  was  wide  open, 
and  before  he  could  reach  the  bell  a  butler  had  ap- 
peared. 

"Is  Mr.  Grex  at  home?"  Richard  enquired. 

"  Mr.  Grex  is  not  at  home,  sir,"  was  the  immediate 
reply. 

"  I  should  like  to  see  Miss  Grex,  then,"  Richard 
proceeded!. 


134        MR-  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

The  man's  face  was  curiously  expressionless,  but 
a  momentary  silence  perhaps  betrayed  as  much  sur- 
prise as  he  was  capable  of  showing. 

"  Miss  Grex  is  not  at  home,  sir,"  he  announced. 

Richard  hesitated  and  just  then  she  came  out  from 
the  winter-garden.  She  was  wearing  a  pink  linen 
morning  gown  and  a  floppy  pink  hat.  She  had  a 
book  under  her  arm  and  a  parasol  swinging  from  her 
fingers.  When  she  saw  Lane,  she  stared  at  him  in 
amazement.  He  advanced  a  step  or  two  towards  her, 
his  hat  in  his  hand. 

"  I  took  the  liberty  of  calling  to  see  your  father, 
Miss  Grex,"  he  explained.  "  As  he  was  not  at  home, 
I  ventured  to  enquire  for  you." 

She  was  absolutely  helpless.  It  was  impossible 
to  ignore  his  outstretched  hand.  Very  hesitatingly 
she  held  out  her  fingers,  which  Richard  grasped  and 
seemed  in  no  hurry  at  all  to  release. 

"  This  is  quite  the  most  beautiful  place  I  have 
seen  anywhere  near  Monte  Carlo,"  he  remarked  en- 
thusiastically. 

"  I  am  glad,"  she  murmured,  "  that  you  find  it 
attractive." 

He  was  standing  by  her  side  now,  his  hat  under 
his  arm.  The  butler  had  withdrawn  a  little  into  the 
background.  She  glanced  around. 

"  Did  my  father  ask  you  to  call,  Mr.  Lane?  "  she 
enquired,  dropping  her  voice  a  little. 

"  He  did  not,"  Richard  confessed.  "  I  must  say 
that  I  gave  him  plenty  of  opportunities  but  he  did 
not  seem  to  be  what  I  should  call  hospitably  inclined. 
In  any  case,  it  really  doesn't  matter.  I  came  to  see 
you." 


MISS  GREX  AT  HOME  135 

She  bit  her  lip,  struggling  hard  to  repress  a  smile. 

"  But  I  did  not  ask  you  to  call  upon  me  either,'* 
she  reminded  him  gravely. 

"  Well,  that's  true,"  Lane  admitted,  a  little  hesi- 
tatingly. "  I  don't  quite  know  how  things  are  done 
over  here.  Say,  are  you  English,  or  French,  or 
what?"  he  asked,  point  blank.  "I  have  been  puz- 
zling about  that  ever  since  I  saw  you." 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  my  nationality  matters,"  she 
observed. 

"  Well,  over  on  the  other  side,"  he  continued, — > 
"  I  mean  America,  of  course  —  if  we  make  up  our 
minds  that  we  want  to  see  something  of  a  girl  and 
there  isn't  any  real  reason  why  one  shouldn't,  then 
the  initiative  generally  rests  with  the  man.  Of 
course,  if  you  are  an  only  daughter,  I  can  quite 
understand  your  father  being  a  bit  particular,  not 
caring  for  men  callers  and  that  sort  of  thing,  but 
that  can't  go  on  for  ever,  you  know,  can  it?  " 

"  Can't  it?  "  she  murmured,  a  little  dazed. 

"  I  have  a  habit,"  he  confided,  "  of  making  up  my 
mind  quickly,  and  when  I  decide  about  a  thing,  I  am 
rather  hard  to  turn.  Well,  I  made  up  my  mind 
about  you  the  first  moment  we  met." 

"  About  me  ?  "  she  repeated. 

"  About  you." 

She  turned  and  looked  at  him  almost  wonderingly. 
He  was  very  big  and  very  confident;  good  to  look 
upon,  less  because  of  his  actual  good  looks  than  be- 
cause of  a  certain  honesty  and  tenacity  of  purpose 
in  his  expression;  a  strength  of  jaw,  modified  and 
rendered  even  pleasant  by  the  kindness  and  humour 
of  his  clear  grey  eyes.  He  returned  her  gaze  with- 


I36        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

out  embarrassment  and  he  wondered  less  than  ever 
at  finding  himself  there.  Her  complexion  in  this 
clear  light  seemed  more  beautiful  than  ever.  Her 
rich  golden-brown  hair  was  waved  becomingly  over 
her  forehead.  Her  eyebrows  were  silky  and  deli- 
cately straight,  her  mouth  delightful.  Her  figure 
was  girlish,  but  unusually  dignified  for  her  years. 

"  You  know,"  he  said  suddenly,  "  you  look  to  me 
just  like  one  of  those  beautiful  plants  you  have  in  the 
conservatory  there,  just  as  though  you'd  stepped 
out  of  your  little  glass  home  and  blossomed  right 
here.  I  am  almost  afraid  cf  you." 

She  laughed  outright  this  time  —  a  low,  musical 
laugh  which  had  in  it  something  of  foreign  intona- 
tion. 

"  Well,  really,"  she  exclaimed,  "  I  had  not  noticed 
your  fear!  I  was  just  thinking  that  you  were  quite 
the  boldest  young  man  I  have  ever  met." 

"  Come,  that's  something ! "  he  declared. 
"  Couldn't  we  sit  down  somewhere  in  these  wonderful 
gardens  of  yours  and  talk?  " 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  But  have  I  not  told  you  already,"  she  protested, 
"  that  I  do  not  receive  callers  ?  Neither  does  my 
_  father.  Really,  your  coming  here  is  quite  unwar- 
rantable. If  he  should  return  at  this  moment  and 
find  you  here,  he  would  be  very  angry  indeed.  I  am 
afraid  that  he  would  even  be  rude,  and  I,  too,  should 
suffer  for  having  allowed  you  to  talk  with  me." 

"  Let's  hope  that  he  doesn't  return  just  yet,  then," 
Richard  observed,  smiling  easily.  "  I  am  very  good- 
tempered  as  a  rule,  but  I  do  not  like  people  to  be  rude 
to  me." 


MISS  GREX  AT  HOME  137 

"  Fortunately,  he  cannot  return  for  at  least  an 
hour  — "  she  began. 

**  Then  we'll  sit  down  on  that  terrace,  if  you  please, 
for  just  a  quarter  of  that  time,"  he  begged. 

She  opened  her  lips  and  closed  them  again.  He 
was  certainly  a  very  stubborn  young  man ! 

"  Well,"  she  sighed,  "  perhaps  it  will  be  the  easi- 
est way  of  getting  rid  of  you." 

She  motioned  him  to  follow  her.  The  butler,  from 
a  discreet  distance,  watched  her  as  though  he  were 
looking  at  a  strange  thing.  Round  the  corner  of 
the  villa  remote  from  the  winter-garden,  was  a  long 
stone  terrace  upon  which  many  windows  opened. 
Screened  from  the  wind,  the  sun  here  was  of  almost 
midsummer  strength.  There  was  no  sound.  The 
great  house  seemed  asleep.  There  was  nothing  but 
the  droning  of  a  few  insects.  Even  the  birds  were 
songless.  The  walls  were  covered  with  drooping 
clematis  and  roses,  roses  that  twined  over  the  balus- 
trades. Below  them  was  a  tangle  of  mimosa  trees 
and  rhododendrons,  and  further  below  still  the  blue 
Mediterranean.  She  sank  into  a  chair. 

"  You  may  sit  here,"  she  said,  "  just  long  enough 
for  me  to  convince  you  that  your  coming  was  a  mis- 
take. Indeed  that  is  so.  I  do  not  wish  to  seem 
foolish  or  unkind,  but  my  father  and  I  are  living- 
here  with  one  unbreakable  rule,  and  that  is  that  we 
make  no  acquaintances  whatsoever." 

"  That  sounds  rather  queer,"  he  remarked. 
"  Don't  you  find  it  dull?" 

"  If  I  do,"  she  went  on,  "  it  is  only  for  a  little  time. 
My  father  is  here  for  a  certain  purpose,  and  as  soon 
as  that  is  accomplished  we  shall  go  away.  For  him 


138        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

to  accomplish  that  purpose  in  a  satisfactory  manner, 
it  is  necessary  that  we  should  live  as  far  apart  as 
possible  from  the  ordinary  visitors  here." 

"  Sounds  like  a  riddle,"  he  admitted.  "  Do  you 
mind  telling  me  of  what  nationality  you  are?  " 

"  I  see  no  reason  why  I  should  tell  you  anything." 

"  You  speak  such  correct  English,"  he  continued, 
"  but  there  is  just  a  little  touch  of  accent.  You 
don't  know  how  attractive  it  sounds.  You  don't 
know  — " 

He  hesitated,  suddenly  losing  some  part  of  his 
immense  confidence. 

"What  else  is  there  that  I  do  not  know?"  she 
asked,  with  a  faintly  amused  smile. 

"  I  have  lost  my  courage,"  he  confessed  simply. 
*'  I  do  not  want  to  offend  you,  I  do  not  want  you  to 
think  that  I  am  hopelessly  foolish,  but  you  see  I 
have  the  misfortune  to  be  in  love  with  you." 

She  laughed  at  him,  leaning  back  in  her  chair  with 
half-closed  eyes. 

"  Do  people  talk  like  this  to  casual  acquaintances 
in  your  country  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  They  speak  sometimes  a  language  which  is  com- 
mon to  all  countries,"  he  replied  quickly.  "  The 
only  thing  that  is  peculiar  to  my  people  is  that  when 
we  say  it,  it  is  the  sober  and  the  solemn  truth." 

She  was  silent  for  a  moment.  She  had  plucked 
one  of  the  blossoms  from  the  wall  and  was  pulling  to 
pieces  its  purple  petals. 

"  Do  you  know,"  she  said,  "  that  no  young  man 
has  ever  dared  to  talk  to  me  as  you  have  done?  " 

"  That  is  because  no  one  yet  has  cared  so  much  as 
I  do,"  he  assured  her.  "  I  can  quite  understand 


MISS  GREX  AT  HOME  139 

their  being  frightened.  I  am  terribly  afraid  of  you 
myself.  I  am  afraid  of  the  things  I  say  to  you,  but 
I  have  to  say  them  because  they  are  in  my  heart, 
and  if  I  am  only  to  have  a  quarter  of  an  hour  with 
you  now,  you  see  I  must  make  the  best  use  of  my 
time.  I  must  tell  you  that  there  isn't  any  other  girl 
in  the  world  I  could  ever  look  at  again,  and  if  you 
won't  promise  to  marry  me  some  day,  I  shall  be  the 
most  wretched  person  on  earth." 

"  I  can  never,  never  marry  you,"  she  told  him 
emphatically.  "  There  is  nothing  which  is  so  im- 
possible as  that." 

"  Well,  that's  a  pretty  bad  start,"  he  admitted. 

"  It  is  the  end,"  she  said  firmly. 

He  shook  his  head.  There  was  a  terrible  obsti- 
nacy in  his  face.  She  frowned  at  him. 

"  You  do  not  mean  that  you  will  persist  after  what 
I  have  told  you  ?  " 

He  looked  at  her,  almost  surprised. 

"  There  isn't  anything  else  for  me  to  do,  that  I 
know  of,"  he  declared,  "  so  long  as  you  don't  care 
for  any  one  else.  Tell  me  again,  you  are  sure  that 
there  is  no  one  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not,"  she  replied  stiffly.  "  The  sub-> 
ject  has  not  yet  been  made  acceptable  to  me.  You 
must  forgive  my  adding  that  in  my  country  it  is  not 
usual  for  a  girl  to  discuss  these  matters  with  a  man 
before  her  betrothal." 

"  Say,  I  don't  understand  that,"  he  murmured, 
looking  at  her  thoughtfully.  "  She  can't  get  en- 
gaged before  she  is  asked." 

"  The  preliminaries,"  she  explained,  "  are  always 
arranged  by  one's  parents." 


140        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

He  smiled  pityingly. 

"  That  sort  of  thing's  no  use,"  he  asserted  con- 
fidently. "  You  must  be  getting  past  that,  in  what- 
ever corner  of  Europe  you  live.  What  you  mean 
to  say,  then,  is  that  your  father  has  some  one  up  his 
sleeve  whom  he'll  trot  out  for  you  before  long?  " 

"  Without  doubt,  some  arrangement  will  be  pro- 
posed." she  agreed. 

"  And  you'll  have  to  be  amiable  to  some  one  you've 
never  seen  in  your  life  before,  I  suppose?  "  he  per- 
sisted. 

"  Not  necessarily.  It  sometimes  happens,  in  my 
position,"  she  went  on,  raising  her  head,  "  that  cer- 
tain sacrifices  are  necessary.'5 

"  In  your  position,"  he  repeated  quickly.  "  What 
does  that  mean?  You  aren't  a  queen,  are  you,  or 
anything  of  that  sort?  " 

She  laughed. 

"  No,"  she  confessed,  "  I  am  not  a  queen,  and 
yet—" 

"And  yet?" 

"  You  must  go  back,"  she  insisted,  rising  abruptly 
to  her  feet.  "  The  quarter  of  an  hour  is  up.  I  do 
not  feel  happy,  sitting  here  talking  with  you. 
Heally,  if  my  father  were  to  return  he  would  be  more 
angry  with  me  than  he  has  ever  been  in  his  life.  This 
sort  of  thing  is  not  done  amongst  my  people." 

"  Little  lady,"  he  said,  gently  forcing  her  back 
into  her  place,  "  believe  me,  it's  done  all  the  world 
over,  and  there  isn't  any  girl  can  come  to  any  harm 
by  being  told  that  a  man  is  fond  of  her  when  it's  the 
truthj  when  he'd  give  his  life  for  her  willingly.  It's 
just  like  that  I  feel  about  ,vou.  I've  never  felt  it 


MISS  GREX  AT  HOME  141 

before.  I  could  never  feel  it  for  any  one  else.  And 
I  am  not  going  to  give  you  up." 

She  was  looking  at  him  half  fearfully.  There  was 
a  little  colour  in  her  cheeks,  her  eyes  were  suddenly 
moist. 

"  I  think,"  she  murmured,  "  that  you  talk  very 
nicely.  I  think  I  might  even  say  that  I  like  to  hear 
you  talk.  But  it  is  so  useless.  Won't  you  go  now? 
Won't  you  please  go  now  ?  " 

"When  may  I  come  again?  "  he  begged. 

"  Never,"  she  replied  firmly.  "  You  must  never 
come  again.  You  must  not  even  think  of  it.  But 
indeed  you  would  not  be  admitted.  They  will  prob- 
ably tell  my  father  of  your  visit,  as  it  is,  and  he  will 
be  very  angry." 

"  Well,  when  can  I  see  you,  then,  and  where?  "  he 
demanded.  "  I  hope  you  understand  that  I  am  not 
in  the  least  disheartened  by  anything  you  have  said." 

"  I  think,"  she  declared,  "  that  you  are  the  most 
persistent  person  I  ever  met." 

"  It  is  only,"  he  whispered,  leaning  a  little  to- 
wards her,  "  because  I  care  for  you  so  much." 

She  was  suddenly  confused,  conscious  of  a  swift 
desire  to  get  rid  of  him.  It  was  as  though  some  one 
were  speaking  a  new  language.  All  her  old  habits 
and  prejudices  seemed  falling  away. 

"  I  cannot  make  appointments  with  you,"  she  pro- 
tested, her  voice  shaking.  "  I  cannot  encourage  you 
in  any  way.  It  is  really  quite  impossible." 

"  If  I  go  now,  will  you  be  at  the  Club  to-morrow 
afternoon  ?  "  he  pleaded. 

"  I  am  not  sure,"  she  replied.  "  It  is  very  likely 
that  I  may  be  there.  I  make  no  promise." 


14*        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

He  took  her  hand  abruptly,  and,  stooping  down, 
forced  her  to  look  into  his  eyes. 

"  You  will  be  there  to-morrow  afternoon,  please," 
he  begged,  "  and  you  will  give  me  the  rose  from  your 
waistband." 

She  laughed  uneasily. 

"  If  the  rose  will  buy  your  departure  — "  she  be- 
gan. 

"  It  may  do  that,"  he  interrupted,  as  he  drew  it 
through  his  buttonhole,  "  but  it  will  assuredly  bring 
me  back  again." 

Richard  walked  down  the  hill,  whistling  softly  to 
himself  and  with  a  curious  light  in  his  eyes.  As  he 
reached  the  square  in  front  of  the  Casino,  he  was  ac- 
costed by  a  stranger  who  stood  in  the  middle  of  the 
pavement  and  respectfully  removed  his  hat. 

"  You  are  Mr.  Richard  Lane,  is  it  not  so,  mon- 
sieur? " 

"  You've  guessed  it  in  one,"  Richard  admitted. 
"  Have  I  ever  seen  you  before?  " 

"  Never,  monsieur,  unless  you  happened  to  notice 
me  on  your  visit  to  the  prison.  I  have  an  official 
position  in  the  Principality.  I  am  commissioned  to 
speak  to  you  with  respect  to  the  little  affair  in  which 
you  were  concerned  at  La  Turbie." 

"  Well,  I  thought  we'd  thrashed  all  that  out,"  Lane 
replied.  "  Anyway,  Sir  Henry  Hunterleys  and  I 
have  engaged  a  lawyer  to  look  after  our  interests." 

"  Just  so,"  the  little  man  murmured.  "  A  very 
clever  man  indeed  is  Monsieur  Grisson.  Still,  there 
is  a  view  of  the  matter,"  he  continued,  "  which  is 
perhaps  hard  for  you  Englishmen  and  Americans  to 


MISS  GREX  AT  HOME  143 

understand.  Assault  of  any  description  is  very  se- 
verely punished  here,  especially  when  it  results  in 
bodily  injury.  Theft  of  all  sorts,  on  the  other  hand, 
is  very  common  indeed.  The  man  whom  you  injured 
is  a  native  of  Monte  Carlo.  To  a  certain  extent,  the 
Principality  is  bound  to  protect  him." 

"  Why,  the  fellow  was  engaged  in  a  flagrant  at- 
tempt at  highway  robbery ! "  Richard  declared,  gen- 
uinely astonished. 

His  companion  stretched  out  his  hands. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  replied,  "  every  one  robs  here, 
whether  they  are  shop-keepers,  restaurant  keepers 
or  loafers  upon  the  streets.  The  people  expect  it. 
At  the  adjourned  trial  next  week  there  will  be  many 
witnesses  who  are  also  natives  of  Monte  Carlo.  I 
have  been  commissioned  to  warn  monsieur.  It  would 
be  best,  on  the  whole,  if  he  left  Monte  Carlo  by  the 
next  train." 

"  Why  in  the  name  of  mischief  should  I  do  that  ?  " 
Richard  demanded. 

"  In  the  first  place,"  the  other  pointed  out,  "  be- 
cause this  man,  whom  you  treated  a  little  roughly, 
has  many  friends  and  associates.  They  have  sworn 
revenge.  You  are  even  now  being  followed  about, 
and  the  police  of  the  Principality  have  enough  to  do 
without  sparing  an  escort  to  protect  you  against  vio- 
lence. In  the  second  place,  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that 
the  finding  of  the  court  next  week  will  be  altogether 
to  your  satisfaction." 

"  Do  you  mean  this  ?  "  Richard  asked  incre<Ju-» 
lously. 

"  Without  a  doubt,  monsieur." 

"  Then  all  I  can  say,"  Richard  declared,  "  is  that 


144        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

your  magistrate  or  judge,  or  whatever  he  calls  him- 
self, is  a  rotter,  and  your  laws  absurd.  I  sha'n't 
budge." 

"  It  is  in  your  own  interests,  monsieur,  this  warn- 
ing," the  other  persisted.  '*  Even  if  you  escape 
these  desperadoes,  you  still  run  some  risk  of  dis- 
covering what  the  inside  of  a  prison  in  Monaco  is 
like." 

"  I  think  not,"  Lane  answered  grimly.  "  If 
there's  anything  of  that  sort  going  about,  I  shall 
board  my  yacht  yonder  and  hoist  the  Stars  and 
Stripes.  I  shall  take  some  getting  into  prison,  I 
can  tell  you,  and  if  I  once  get  there,  you'll  hear 
about  it." 

"  Monsieur  will  be  much  wiser  to  avoid  trouble," 
the  official  advised. 

Lane  placed  his  hand  upon  the  other's  shoulder. 

"  My  friend,"  he  said,  **  not  you  or  a  dozen  like 
you  could  make  me, stir  from  this  place  until  I  am 
ready,  and  just  now  I  am  very  far  from  ready. 
See?  You  can  go  and  tell  those  who  sent  you,  what 
I  say." 

The  emissary  of  the  law  shrugged  his  shoulders. 
His  manner  was  stiff  but  resigned. 

"  I  have  delivered  my  message,  monsieur,"  he  an- 
nounced. "  Monsieur  naturally  must  decide  for 
himself." 

He  disappeared  with  a  bow.  Richard  continued 
on  his  way  and  a  few  minutes  later  ran  into  Hunter- 
leys. 

"  Say,  did  you  ever  hear  such  cheek ! "  he  ex- 
claimed, passing  his  arm  through  the  latter's.  "  A 
little  bounder  stopped  me  in  the  street  and  has  been 


MISS  GREX  AT  HOME  145 

trying  to  frighten  me  into  leaving  Monte  Carlo,  just 
because  I  broke  that  robber's  wrist.  Same  Johnny 
that  came  to  you,  I  expect.  What  are  they  up  to, 
anyway?  What  do  they  want  to  get  rid  of  us  for? 
They  ought  to  be  jolly  grateful." 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head. 

"  So  far  as  I  am  concerned,"  he  said,  "  their  rea- 
sons for  wanting  to  get  rid  of  me  are  fairly  obvious, 
I  am  afraid,  but  I  must  say  I  don't  know  where  you 
come  in,  unless  — " 

He  stopped  short. 

"Well,  unless  what?"  Richard  interposed.  "I 
should  just  like  to  know  who  it  is  trying  to  get  me 
kicked  out." 

"  Can't  you  guess  ?  "  Hunterleys  asked.  "  There 
is  one  person  who  I  think  would  be  quite  as  well 
pleased  to  see  the  back  of  you." 

"  Here  in  Monte  Carlo?  " 

"Absolutely!" 

Richard  was  mystified. 

"  You  are  not  very  bright,  I  am  afraid,"  Hunter- 
leys  observed.  "  What  about  your  friend  Mr. 
Grex?" 

Richard  whistled  softly. 

"  Are  3'ou  serious  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  am,"  Hunterleys  assured  him. 

"  But  has  he  any  pull  here,  this  Mr.  Grex?  " 

Hunterleys'  eyes  twinkled  for  a  moment. 

"  Yes,"  he  replied,  "  I  think  that  Mr.  Grex  has 
very  considerable  influence  in  this  part  of  the  world, 
and  he  is  a  man  who,  I  should  say,  was  rather  used 
to  having  his  own  way." 

"  I  gathered  that  I  wasn't  exactly  popular  with 


I46        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

him  this  afternoon,"  Richard  remarked  meditatively^ 
"  I've  been  out  there  to  call." 

Hunterleys  stopped  short  upon  the  pavement. 

"  What?  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  I  have  been  out  to  call  at  the  Villa  Mimosa," 
Richard  repeated.  "  I  don't  see  anything  extraor- 
dinary in  that." 

"  Did  you  see  —  Miss  Fedora  ?  " 

"  Rather !  And  thank  you  for  telling  me  her 
name,  at  any  rate.  We  sat  on  the  terrace  and 
chatted  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  She  gave  me  to 
understand,  though,  that  the  old  man  was  dead 
against  me.  It  all  seems  very  mysterious.  Any- 
way, she  gave  me  this  rose  I  am  wearing,  and  I  think 
she'll  be  at  the  Club  to-morrow  afternoon." 

Hunterleys  was  silent  for  a  moment.  He  seemed 
much  impressed. 

"  You  know,  Richard,"  he  declared,  "  there  is 
something  akin  to  genius  in  your  methods." 

"  That's  all  very  well,"  the  young  man  protested, 
"  but  can  you  give  me  a  single  solid  reason  why, 
considering  I  am  in  love  with  the  girl,  I  shouldn't 
go  and  call  upon  her?  Who  is  this  Mr.  Grex,  any- 
way? " 

"  I've  a  good  mind  to  tell  you,"  Hunterleys  said 
meditatively. 

"  I  don't  care  whether  you  do  or  not,"  Lane  pro- 
nounced firmly,  as  they  parted.  "  I  don't  care 
whether  Mr.  Grex  is  the  Sultan  of  Turkey  or  the 
Czar  of  Russia.  I'm  going  to  marry  his  daughter. 
That's  settled." 


CHAPTER  XIV 

DINNER    FOE    TWO 

At  a  few  minutes  before  eight  o'clock  that  evening 
Lady  Hunterleys  descended  the  steps  of  the  Casino 
and  crossed  the  square  towards  the  Hotel  de  Paris. 
She  walked  very  slowly  and  she  looked  neither  to  the 
right  nor  to  the  left.  She  had  the  air  of  seeing  no 
one.  She  acknowledged  mechanically  the  low  bow 
of  the  commissionaire  who  opened  the  door  for  her. 
A  reception  clerk  who  stood  on  one  side  to  let  her 
pass,  she  ignored  altogether.  She  crossed  the  hall 
to  the  lift  and  pressed  the  bell.  Draconmeyer,  who 
had  been  lounging  in  an  easy-chair  waiting  for  her, 
watched  her  entrance  and  noticed  her  abstracted 
manner  with  kindling  eyes.  He  threw  away  his 
newspaper  and,  hastily  approaching  her,  touched  her 
arm. 

"  You  are  late,"  he  remarked. 

She  started. 

"  Yes,  I  am  late." 

"  I  did  not  see  you  at  the  Club." 

"  I  have  been  to  the  Casino  instead,"  she  told  him. 
"  I  thought  that  it  might  change  my  luck." 

"Successful,  I  trust?" 

She  shook  her  head.  Then  she  opened  her  gold 
satchel  and  showed  him.  It  was  empty. 


I48        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  The  luck  must  turn  sometime,"  he  reminded  her 
soothingly.  "  How  long  will  you  be  changing?  " 

"  I  am  tired,"  she  confessed.  "  I  thought  that  to- 
night I  would  not  dine.  I  will  have  something  sent 
up  to  my  room." 

He  was  obviously  disappointed. 

"  Couldn't  you  dine  as  you  are? "  he  begged. 
*'  You  could  change  later,  if  you  wished  to.  It  is 
always  such  a  disappointment  when  you  do  not  ap- 
pear —  and  to-night,"  he  added,  "  especially." 

Violet  hesitated.  She  was  really  longing  only  to 
be  alone  and  to  rest.  She  thought,  however,  of  the 
poor  invalid  to  whom  their  meeting  at  dinner-time 
was  the  one  break  of  the  day. 

"  Very  well,"  she  promised,  "  I  will  be  down  in  ten 
minutes." 

Draconmeyer,  as  the  lift  bore  her  upwards,  strolled 
away.  Although  the  custom  was  a  strange  one  to 
him,  he  sought  out  the  American  bar  and  drank  a 
cocktail.  Then  he  lit  a  cigarette  and  made  his  way 
back  into  the  lounge,  moving  restlessly  about,  his 
hands  behind  his  back,  his  forehead  knitted.  In  his 
way  he  had  been  a  great  schemer,  and  in  the  crowded 
hall  of  the  hotel  that  night,  surrounded  by  a  won- 
derfully cosmopolitan  throng  of  loungers  and  pass- 
ers-by, he  lived  again  through  the  birth  and  develop- 
ment of  many  of  the  schemes  which  his  brain  had 
conceived  since  he  had  left  his  mother-country. 
One  and  all  they  had  been  successful.  He  seemed, 
indeed,  to  have  been  imbued  with  the  gift  of  success. 
He  had  floated  immense  loans  where  other  men  had 
failed;  he  had  sustained  the  credit  of  his  country 
on  a  high  level  through  more  than  one  serious  finan- 


DINNER  FOR  TWO  149 

cial  crisis;  he  had  pulled  down  or  built  up  as  his 
judgment  or  fancy  had  dictated ;  and  all  the  time  the 
man's  relaxations,  apart  from  the  actual  trend  of 
great  affairs,  had  been  few  and  slight.  Then  had 
come  his  acquaintance  with  Linda's  school-friend. 
He  looked  back  through  the  years.  At  first  he  had 
scarcely  noticed  her  visits.  Gradually  he  had  be- 
come conscious  of  a  dim  feeling  of  thankfulness  to 
the  woman  who  always  seemed  able  to  soothe  his  in- 
valid wife.  Then,  scarcely  more  than  a  year  or  so 
ago,  he  had  found  himself  watching  her  at  unex- 
pected moments,  admiring  the  soft  grace  of  her 
movements,  the  pleasant  cadence  of  her  voice,  the 
turn  of  her  head,  the  colour  of  her  hair,  the  elegance 
of  her  clothes,  her  thin,  fashionable  figure.  Grad- 
ually he  had  begun  to  look  for  her,  to  welcome  her 
at  his  table  —  and  from  that,  the  rest.  Finally  the 
birth  of  this  last  scheme  of  his.  He  had  very  nearly 
made  a  fatal  mistake  at  the  very  commencement,  had 
pulled  himself  right  again  only  with  a  supreme  ef- 
fort. His  heart  beat  quicker  even  now  as  he  thought 
of  that  moment.  They  had  been  alone  together  one 
evening.  She  had  sat  talking  with  him  after  Linda 
had  gone  to  bed  worse  than  usual,  and  in  the  dim 
light  he  had  almost  lost  his  head,  he  had  almost  said 
those  words,  let  her  see  the  things  in  his  eyes  for 
which  the  time  was  not  yet  ripe.  She  had  kept  away 
for  a  while  after  that.  He  had  treated  it  as  a  mis- 
take but  he  had  been  very  careful  not  to  err  again. 
By  degrees  she  forgot.  The  estrangement  between 
husband  and  wife  was  part  of  his  scheme,  largely  his 
doing.  He  was  all  the  time  working  to  make  the 
breach  wider.  The  visit  to  Monte  Carlo,  rather  a 


ISO        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

difficult  accomplishment,  he  had  arranged.  He  had 
seen  with  delight  the  necessity  for  some  form  of  ex- 
citement growing  up  in  her,  had  watched  her  losses 
and  only  wished  that  they  had  been  larger.  He  had 
encouraged  her  to  play  for  higher  stakes  and  found 
that  she  needed  very  little  encouragement  indeed. 
To-night  he  felt  that  a  crisis  was  at  hand.  There 
was  a  new  look  upon  her  face.  She  had  probably 
lost  everything.  He  knew  exactly  how  she  would 
feel  about  asking  her  husband  for  help.  His  eyes 
grew  brighter  as  he  waited  for  the  lift. 

She  came  at  last  and  they  walked  together  into  the 
dining-room.  When  she  reached  their  accustomed 
table,  it  was  empty,  and  only  their  two  places  were 
laid.  She  looked  at  him  in  surprise. 

"  But  I  thought  you  said  that  Linda  would  be  so 
disappointed  !  "  she  reminded  him. 

He  shook  his  head. 

"  I  do  not  think  that  I  mentioned  Linda's  name," 
he  protested.  "  She  went  to  bed  soon  after  tea  in 
an  absolutely  hopeless  state.  I  am  afraid  that  to- 
night I  was  selfish.  I  was  thinking  of  myself.  I 
have  had  nothing  in  the  shape  of  companionship  all 
day.  I  came  and  looked  at  the  table,  and  the 
thought  of  dining  alone  wearied  me.  I  have  to  spend 
a  great  deal  of  time  alone,  unfortunately.  You  and 
I  are,  perhaps,  a  little  alike  in  that  respect." 

She  seated  herself  after  a  moment's  hesitation. 
He  moved  his  chair  a  little  closer  to  hers.  The  pink- 
shaded  lamp  seemed  to  shut  them  off  from  the  rest 
of  the  room.  A  waiter  poured  wine  into  their 


I   ordered  champagne  to-night,"  he   remarked. 


DINNER  FOR  TWO  151 

"  You  looked  so  tired  when  you  came  in.  Drink  a 
glass  at  once." 

She  obeyed  him,  smiling  faintly.  She  was,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  craving  for  something  of  the  sort. 

"  It  was  thoughtful  of  you,"  she  declared.  "  I 
am  tired.  I  have  been  losing  all  day,  and  altogether 
I  have  had  a  most  depressing  time." 

"  It  is  not  as  it  should  be,  that,"  he  observed, 
smiling.  "  This  is  a  city  of  pleasure.  One  was 
meant  to  leave  one's  cares  behind  here.  If  any  one 
in  this  world,"  he  added,  "  should  be  without  them,  it 
should  be  you." 

He  looked  at  her  respectfully  yet  with  an  admira- 
tion which  he  made  no  effort  to  conceal.  There  was 
nothing  in  the  look  over-personal.  She  accepted  it 
with  gratitude. 

"  You  are  always  kind,"  she  murmured. 

"  This  reminds  me  of  some  of  our  evenings  in 
London,"  he  went  on,  "  when  we  used  to  talk  music 
before  we  went  to  the  Opera.  I  always  found  those 
evenings  so  restful  and  pleasant.  Won't  you  try 
and  forget  that  you  have  lost  a  few  pennies ;  forget, 
also,  your  other  worries,  whatever  they  may  be?  I 
have  had  a  letter  to-day  from  the  one  great  writer 
whom  we  both  admire.  I  shall  read  it  to  you.  And 
I  have  a  list  of  the  operas  for  next  week.  I  see  that 
your  husband's  little  protegee,  Felicia  Roche,  is 
here." 

"  My  husband's  protegee  ?  "  she  repeated.  "  1 
don't  quite  understand." 

He  seemed,  for  a  moment,  embarrassed. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  he  said.  "  I  had  no  idea.  But 
your  husband  will  tell  you  if  you  ask  him.  It  was  he 


152        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

who  paid  for  her  singing  education,  and  her  triumph 
is  his.  But  the  name  must  be  known  to  you." 

**  I  have  never  heard  it  in  connection  with  my  hus- 
band," she  declared,  frowning  slightly.  "  Henry 
does  not  always  take  me  into  his  confidence." 

"  Then  I  am  sorry,"  he  continued  penitently, 
"that  I  mentioned  the  matter.  It  was  clumsy  of 
me.  I  had  an  idea  that  he  must  have  told  you  all 
about  her.  .  .  .  Another  glass  of  wine,  please,  and 
you  will  find  your  appetite  comes.  Jules  has  pre- 
pared that  salmon  trout  specially.  I'll  read  you  the 
letter  from  Maurice,  if  you  like,  and  afterwards 
there  is  a  story  I  must  tell  you." 

The  earlier  stages  of  dinner  slipped  pleasantly 
away.  Draconmeyer  was  a  born  conversationalist, 
—  a  good  talker  and  a  keen  tactician.  The  food 
and  the  wine,  too,  did  their  part.  Presently  Violet 
lifted  her  head,  the  colour  came  back  to  her  cheeks, 
she  too  began  to  talk  and  laugh.  All  the  time  he 
was  careful  not  to  press  home  his  advantage.  He 
remembered  that  one  night  in  the  library  at  Gros- 
venor  Square,  when  she  had  turned  her  head  and 
looked  at  him  for  a  moment  before  leaving.  She 
must  be  different  now,  he  told  himself  fiercely.  It 
was  impossible  that  she  could  continue  to  love  a 
husband  who  neglected  her,  a  man  whose  mistaken 
sense  of  dignity  kept  him  away  from  her ! 

"  I  want  you,"  he  begged,  as  they  drew  towards 
the  close  of  the  meal,  "  to  treat  me,  if  you  will,  just 
a  little  more  confidentially." 

She  glanced  up  at  him  quickly,  almost  sus- 
piciously. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 


DINNER  FOR  TWO  153 

**  You  have  troubles  of  which  you  do  not  speak," 
he  went  on.  "  If  my  friendship  is  worth  anything, 
it  ought  to  enable  me  to  share  those  troubles  with 
you.  You  have  had  a  little  further  disagreement 
with  your  husband,  I  think,  and  bad  luck  at  the  ta- 
bles. You  ought  not  to  let  either  of  these  things 
depress  you  too  much.  Tell  me,  do  you  think  that  I 
could  help  with  Sir  Henry  ?  " 

"  No  one  could  help,"  she  replied,  her  tone  uncon- 
sciously hardening.  "  Henry  is  obstinate,  and  it  is 
my  firm  conviction  that  he  has  ceased  to  care  for  me 
at  all.  This  afternoon  —  this  very  afternoon,"  she 
went  on,  leaning  across  the  table,  her  voice  trembling 
a  little,  her  eyes  very  bright,  "  I  offered  to  go  away 
with  him." 

"  To  leave  Monte  Carlo?  " 

"  Yes !  He  refused.  He  said  that  he  must  stay 
here,  for  some  mysterious  reason.  I  begged  him  to 
tell  me  what  that  reason  was,  and  he  was  silent.  It 
was  the  end.  He  gives  me  no  confidence.  He  has 
refused  the  one  effort  I  made  at  reconciliation.  I 
am  convinced  that  it  is  useless.  We  have  parted 
finally." 

Draconmeyer  tried  hard  to  keep  the  light  from  his 
eyes  as  he  leaned  towards  her. 

"  Dear  lady,"  he  said,  "  if  I  do  not  admit  that  I 
am  sorry  —  well,  there  are  reasons.  Your  husband 
did  well  to  be  mysterious.  I  can  tell  you  the  rea- 
son why  he  will  not  leave  Monte  Carlo.  It  is  because 
Felicia  Roche  makes  her  debut  at  the  Opera  House 
to-morrow  night.  There!  I  didn't  mean  to  tell  you 
but  the  whole  world  knows  it.  Even  now  I  would 
not  have  told  you  but  for  other  things.  It  is  best 


154        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

that  you  know  the  truth.  It  is  my  firm  belief  that 
your  husband  does  not  deserve  your  interest,  much 
more  your  affection.  If  only  I  dared — " 

He  paused  for  a  moment.  Every  word  he  wag. 
compelled  to  measure. 

"  Sometimes,"  he  continued,  "  your  condition  re- 
minds me  so  much  of  my  own.  I  think  that  there  is 
no  one  so  lonely  in  life  as  I  am.  For  the  last  few 
years  Linda  has  been  fading  away,  physically  and 
mentally.  I  touch  her  fingers  at  morning  and  night, 
we  speak  of  the  slight  happenings  of  the  day.  She 
has  no  longer  any  mind  or  any  power  of  sympathy. 
Her  lips  are  as  cold  as  her  understanding.  For  that 
I  know  she  is  not  to  blame,  yet  it  has  left  me  very 
lonely.  If  I  had  had  a  child,"  he  went  on,  "  even  if 
there  were  one  single  soul  of  whom  I  was  fond,  to 
whom  I  might  look  for  sympathy;  even  if  you,  my 
dear  friend  —  you  see,  I  am  bold,  and  I  venture  to 
call  you  my  dear  friend  —  could  be  a  little  kinder 
sometimes,  it  would  make  all  the  difference  in  the 
world." 

She  turned  her  head  and  looked  at  him.  His  teeth 
came  together  hastily.  It  seemed  to  him  that  al- 
ready she  was  on  her  guard. 

"  You  have  something  more  to  say,  haven't  you  ?  " 
she  asked. 

He  hesitated.  Her  tone  was  non-committal.  It 
was  a  moment  when  he  might  have  risked  everything, 
but  he  feared  to  make  a  mistake. 

"  This  is  what  I  mean,"  he  declared,  with  the  ap- 
pearance of  great  frankness.  "  I  am  going  to  speak 
to  you  upon  the  absurd  question  of  money.  I  have 
an  income  of  which,  even  if  I  were  boundlessly  ex- 


DINNER  FOR  TWO  155 

travagant,  I  could  not  hope  to  spend  half.  A  specu- 
lation, the  week  before  I  left  England,  brought  me  a 
profit  of  a  million  marks.  But  for  the  banking  in- 
terests of  my  country  and  the  feeling  that  I  am  the 
trustee  for  thousands  of  other  people,  it  would  weary 
me  to  look  for  investments.  And  you  —  you  came 
in  to-night,  looking  worn  out  just  because  you  had 
lost  a  handful  or  so  of  those  wretched  plaques. 
There,  you  see  it  is  coming  now.  I  should  like  per- 
mission to  do  more  than  call  myself  your  friend.  I 
should  like  permission  to  be  also  your  banker." 

She  looked  at  him  quietly  and  searchingly.  His 
heart  began  to  beat  faster.  At  least  she  was  in 
doubt.  He  had  not  wholly  lost.  His  chance,  even, 
was  good. 

"  My  friend,"  she  said,  "  I  believe  that  you  are 
honest.  I  do  indeed  recognise  your  point  of  view. 
The  thing  is  an  absurdity,  but,  you  know,  all  conven- 
tions, even  the  most  foolish,  have  some  human  and 
natural  right  beneath  them.  I  think  that  the  con- 
vention which  forbids  a  woman  accepting  money 
from  a  man,  however  close  a  friend,  is  like  that. 
Frankly,  my  first  impulse,  a  few  minutes  ago,  was  to 
ask  you  to  lend  me  a  thousand  pounds.  Now  I  know 
that  I  cannot  do  it." 

"  Do  you  really  mean  that  ?  "  he  asked,  in  a  tone 
of  deep  disappointment.  "  If  you  do,  I  am  hurt. 
It  proves  that  the  friendship  which  to  me  is  so  dear, 
is  to  you  a  very  slight  thing." 

"  You  mustn't  think  that,"  she  pleaded.  "  And 
please,  Mr.  Draconmeyer,  don't  think  that  I  don't 
appreciate  all  your  kindness.  Short  of  accepting 
your  money,  I  would  do  anything  to  prove  it." 


156        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  There  need  be  no  question  of  a  gift,"  he  re- 
minded her,  in  a  low  tone.  "  If  I  were  a  perfect 
stranger,  I  might  still  be  your  banker.  You  must 
have  money  from  somewhere.  Are  you  going  to  ask 
your  husband?  " 

She  bit  her  lip  for  a  moment.  If  indeed  he  had 
known  her  actual  position,  his  hopes  would  have  been 
higher  still. 

"  I  cannot  possibly  ask  Henry  for  anything,"  she 
confessed.  "  I  had  made  up  my  mind  to  ask  him 
to  authorise  the  lawyers  to  advance  me  my  next  quar- 
ter's allowance.  After  —  what  has  passed  betweer 
us,  though,  and  —  considering  everything,  I  don't 
feel  that  I  can  do  it." 

"  Then  may  I  ask  how  you  really  mean  to  get  more 
money?  "  he  went  on  gently. 

She  looked  at  him  a  little  piteously. 

"  Honestly,  I  don't  know,"  she  admitted.  "  I  will 
be  quite  frank  with  you.  Henry  allows  me  two  thou- 
sand, five  hundred  a  year.  I  brought  nine  hundred 
pounds  out  with  me,  and  I  have  nothing  more  to  come 
until  June." 

"  And  how  much  have  you  left  of  the  nine  hundred 
pounds  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Not  enough  to  pay  my  hotel  bill,"  she  groaned. 

He  smiled. 

"  Circumstances  are  too  strong  for  you,"  he  de- 
clared. "  You  must  go  to  a  banker.  I  claim  the 
right  of  being  that  banker.  I  shall  draw  up  a  prom- 
issory note  —  no,  we  needn't  do  that  —  two  or  three 
cheques,  perhaps,  dated  June,  August  and  October. 
I  shall  charge  you  five  per  cent,  interest  and  I  shall 
lend  you  a  thousand  pounds." 


DINNER  FOR  TWO  157 

Her  eyes  sparkled.  The  thought  of  the  money 
was  wonderful  to  her.  A  thousand  pounds  in  mille 
notes  that  very  night !  She  thought  it  all  over  rap- 
idly. She  would  never  run  such  risks  again.  She 
would  play  for  small  amounts  each  day  —  just 
enough  to  amuse  herself.  Then,  if  she  were  lucky, 
she  would  plunge,  only  she  would  choose  the  right 
moment.  Very  likely  she  would  be  able  to  pay  the 
whole  amount  back  in  a  day  or  two.  If  Henry 
minded,  well,  it  was  his  own  fault.  He  should  have 
been  different. 

"  You  put  it  so  kindly,"  she  said  gratefully,  "  that 
I  am  afraid  I  cannot  refuse.  You  are  very,  very 
considerate,  Mr.  Draconmeyer.  It  certainly  will  be 
nicer  to  owe  you  the  money  than  a  stranger." 

"  I  am  only  glad  that  you  are  going  to  be  reason- 
able," he  remarked, — "  glad,  really,  for  both  our 
sakes.  And  remember,"  he  went  on  cheerfully, 
"  that  one  isn't  young  and  at  Monte  Carlo  too  many 
times  in  one's  life.  Make  up  your  mind  to  enjoy 
yourself.  If  the  luck  goes  against  you  for  a  little 
longer,  come  again.  You  are  bound  to  win  in  the 
end.  Now,  if  you  like,  we'll  have  our  coffee  outside. 
I'll  go  and  fetch  the  money  and  you  shall  make  out 
your  cheques." 

He  scribbled  hastily  on  a  piece  of  paper  for  a  mo- 
ment. 

"  These  are  the  amounts,"  he  pointed  out.  "  I 
have  charged  you  five  per  cent,  per  annum  interest. 
As  I  can  deal  with  money  at  something  under  four,  I 
shall  make  quite  a  respectable  profit  —  more  than 
enough,"  he  added  good-naturedly,  "  to  pay  for  our 
dinner ! " 


I58        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

She  seemed  suddenly  years  younger.  The  pros- 
pect of  the  evening  before  her  was  enchanting. 

"  You  really  are  delightful ! "  she  exclaimed. 
"  You  can't  think  how  differently  I  shall  feel  when  I 
go  into  the  Club  to-night.  I  am  perfectly  certain 
that  it's  having  plenty  of  money  that  helps  one  to 
win." 

He  smiled. 

"  And  plenty  of  courage,"  he  added.  "  Don't 
waste  your  time  trifling  with  small  stakes.  Bid  up 
for  the  big  things.  It  is  the  only  way  in  gambling 
and  in  life." 

He  rose  to  his  feet  and  their  eyes  met  for  a  mo- 
ment. Once  more  she  felt  vaguely  troubled.  She 
put  that  disturbing  thought  away  from  her,  how- 
ever. It  was  foolish  to  think  of  drawing  back  now. 
If  he  admired  her  —  well,  ,°o  did  most  men ! 


CHAPTER  XV 

INTERNATIONAL    POLITICS 

The  Villa  Mimosa  flamed  with  lights  from  the  top 
story  to  the  ground-floor.  The  entrance  gates  stood 
wide-open.  All  along  the  drive,  lamps  flashed  from 
unsuspected  places  beneath  the  yellow-flowering 
trees.  One  room  only  seemed  shrouded  in  darkness 
and  mystery,  and  around  that  one  room  was  concen- 
trated the  tense  life  of  the  villa.  Thick  curtains  had 
been  drawn  with  careful  hands.  The  heavy  door 
had  been  securely  closed.  The  French-windows 
which  led  out  on  to  the  balcony  had  been  almost  bar- 
ricaded. The  four  men  who  were  seated  around 
the  oval  table  had  certainly  secured  for  themselves 
what  seemed  to  be  a  complete  and  absolute  isolation. 
Yet  there  was,  nevertheless,  a  sense  of  uneasiness,  an 
indescribable  air  of  tension  in  the  atmosphere.  The 
quartette  had  somehow  the  appearance  of  conspira- 
tors who  had  not  settled  down  to  their  work.  It 
was  the  last  arrival,  the  man  who  sat  at  Mr.  Grex's 
right  hand,  who  was  responsible  for  the  general  un- 
rest. 

Mr.  Grex  moved  a  little  nervously  in  the  chair 
which  he  had  just  drawn  up  to  the  table.  He  looked 
towards  Draconmeyer  as  he  opened  the  proceedings. 

"  Monsieur  Douaille,"  he  said,  "  has  come  to  see 
us  this  evening  at  my  own  urgent  request.  Before 


160        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

we  commence  any  sort  of  discussion,  he  has  asked  me 
to  make  it  distinctly  understood  to  you  both  —  to 
you,  Mr.  Draconmeyer,  and  to  you,  Herr  Selingman 
—  that  this  is  not  in  any  sense  of  the  word  a  formal 
meeting  or  convention.  We  are  all  here,  as  it  hap- 
pens, by  accident.  Our  friend  Selingman,  for  in- 
stance, who  is  a  past  master  in  the  arts  of  pleasant 
living,  has  not  missed  a  season  here  for  many  years. 
Draconmeyer  is  also  an  habitue.  I  myself,  it  is 
true,  have  spent  my  winters  elsewhere,  for  various 
reasons,  and  am  comparatively  a  stranger,  but  my 
visit  here  was  arranged  many  months  ago.  You 
yourself,  Monsieur  Douaille,  are  a  good  Parisian, 
and  no  good  Parisian  should  miss  his  yearly  pilgrim- 
ages to  the  Mecca  of  the  pleasure-seeker.  We  meet 
together  this  evening,  therefore,  purely  as  friends 
who  have  a  common  interest  at  heart." 

The  man  from  whom  this  atmosphere  of  nervous- 
ness radiated  —  a  man  of  medium  height,  inclined 
towards  corpulence,  with  small  grey  imperial,  a  thin 
red  ribbon  in  his  buttonhole,  and  slightly  prominent 
features  —  promptly  intervened.  He  had  the  air 
of  a  man  wholly  ill-at-ease.  All  the  time  Mr.  Grex 
had  been  speaking,  he  had  been  drumming  upon  the 
table  with  his  forefinger. 

"  Precisely !  Precisely !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Above 
all  things,  that  must  be  understood.  Ours  is  a 
chance  meeting.  My  visit  in  these  parts  is  in  no 
way  connected  with  the  correspondence  I  have  had 
with  one  of  our  friends  here.  Further,"  Monsieur 
Douaille  continued  impressively,  "  it  must  be  dis- 
tinctly understood  that  any  word  I  may  be  disposed 
to  utter,  either  in  the  way  of  statement  or  criticism, 


INTERNATIONAL  POLITICS  181 

ia  wholly  and  entirely  unofficial.  I  do  not  even  know 
what  the  subject  of  our  discussion  is  to  be.  I  ap- 
proach it  with  the  more  hesitation  because  I  gather, 
from  some  slight  hint  which  has  fallen  from  our 
friend  here,  that  it  deals  with  a  scheme  which,  if  ever 
it  should  be  carried  into  effect,  is  to  the  disadvan- 
tage of  a  nation  with  whom  we  are  at  present  on 
terms  of  the  greatest  friendship.  My  presence  here, 
except  on  the  terms  I  have  stated,"  he  concluded,  his 
voice  shaking  a  little,  "  would  be  an  unpardonable 
offence  to  that  country." 

Monsieur  Douaille's  somewhat  laboured  explana- 
tion did  little  to  lighten  the  atmosphere.  It  was 
the  genius  of  Herr  Selingman  which  intervened.  He 
leaned  back  in  his  chair  and  he  patted  his  waistcoat 
thoughtfully. 

"  I  have  things  to  say,"  he  declared,  "  but  I  can- 
not say  them.  I  have  nothing  to  smoke  —  no  ciga- 
rette, no  cigar.  I  arrive  here  choked  with  dust. 
As  yet,  the  circumstance  seems  to  have  escaped  our 
host's  notice.  Ah !  what  is  that  I  see  ?  "  he  added, 
rising  suddenly  to  his  feet.  "  My  host,  you  are  ac- 
quitted. I  look  around  the  table  here  at  which  I 
am  invited  to  seat  myself,  and  I  perceive  nothing 
but  a  few  stumpy  pens  and  unappetising  blotting- 
paper.  By  chance  I  lift  my  eyes.  I  see  the  parting 
of  the  curtains  yonder,  and  behold ! " 

He  rose  and  crossed  the  room,  throwing  back  a 
curtain  at  the  further  end.  In  the  recess  stood  a 
sideboard,  laden  with  all  manner  of  liqueurs  and 
wines,  glasses  of  every  size  and  shape,  sandwiches, 
pasties,  and  fruit.  Herr  Selingman  stood  on  one 
side  with  outstretched  hand,  in  the  manner  of  a 


i6z        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

showman.     He  himself  was  wrapped  for  a  moment 
in  admiration. 

"  For  you  others  I  cannot  speak,"  he  observed, 
surveying  the  label  upon  a  bottle  of  hock.  "  For 
myself,  here  is  nectar." 

With  careful  fingers  he  drew  the  cork.  At  a  mur- 
mured word  of  invitation  from  Mr.  Grex,  the  others 
rose  from  their  places  and  also  helped  themselves 
from  the  sideboard.  Selingman  took  up  his  posi- 
tion in  the  centre  of  the  hearthrug,  with  a  long  tum- 
bler of  yellow  wine  in  one  hand  and  a  sandwich  in 
the  other. 

"  For  myself,"  he  continued,  taking  a  huge  bite, 
"  I  wage  war  against  all  formality.  I  have  been 
through  this  sort  of  thing  in  Berlin.  I  have  beeiu, 
through  it  in  Vienna,  I  have  been  through  it  in 
Rome.  I  have  sat  at  long  tables  with  politicians, 
have  drawn  little  pictures  upon  the  blotting-paper 
and  been  bored  to  death.  In  wearisome  fashion  we 
have  drafted  agreements,  we  have  quarrelled  and 
bickered,  we  have  yawned  and  made  of  ourselves  men 
of  parchment.  But  to-night,"  he  added,  taking  an- 
other huge  bite  from  his  sandwich,  "  to-night  noth- 
ing of  that  sort  is  intended.  Draconmeyer  and  I 
have  an  idea.  Mr.  Grex  is  favourably  inclined  to- 
wards it.  That  idea  isn't  a  bit  of  good  to  our- 
selves or  any  one  else  unless  Monsieur  Douaille  here 
shares  our  point  of  view.  Here  we  are,  then,  all  met 
together  —  let  us  hope  for  a  week  or  two's  enjoy- 
ment. Little  by  little  we  must  try  and  see  what  we 
can  do  towards  instilling  that  idea  into  the  mind  of 
Monsieur  Douaille.  We  may  succeed,  we  may  fail, 
but  let  us  always  remember  that  our  conversations 


INTERNATIONAL  POLITICS  163 

are  the  conversations  of  four  friends,  met  together 
upon  what  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  holiday. 
I  hate  the  sight  of  those  sheets  of  blotting-paper 
and  clean  pens.  Who  wants  to  make  notes,  espe- 
cially of  what  we  are  going  to  talk  about!  The 
man  who  cannot  carry  notes  in  his  head  is  no  states- 
man." 

Monsieur  Douaille,  who  had  chosen  champagne 
and  was  smoking  a  cigarette,  beamed  approval. 
Much  of  his  nervousness  had  departed. 

"  I  agree,"  he  declared,  "  I  like  well  the  attitude 
of  our  friend  Selingman.  There  is  something  much 
too  formal  about  this  table.  I  am  not  here  to  talk 
treaties  or  to  upset  them.  To  exchange  views,  if 
you  will  —  no  more.  Meanwhile,  I  appreciate  this 
very  excellent  champagne,  the  cigarettes  are  delfr 
cious,  and  I  remove  myself  to  this  easy-chair.  If 
any  one  would  talk  world  politics,  I  am  ready.  Why 
not?  Why  should  we  pretend  that  there  is  any 
more  interesting  subject  to  men  like  ourselves,  in 
whom  is  placed  the  trust  of  our  country?  " 

Mr.  Grex  nodded  his  head  in  assent. 

"  The  fault  is  mine,"  he  declared,  "  but,  believe  me, 
it  was  not  intentional.  It  was  never  my  wish  to 
give  too  formal  an  air  to  our  little  meeting  —  in 
fact  I  never  intended  to  do  more  than  dwell  on  the 
outside  edge  of  great  subjects  to-night.  Unfortu- 
nately, Monsieur  Douaille,  neither  you  nor  I,  what- 
ever our  power  or  influence  may  be,  are  directly  re- 
sponsible for  the  foreign  affairs  of  our  countries. 
We  can,  therefore,  speak  with  entire  frankness. 
Our  countries  —  your  country  and  mine  —  are  to- 
day bound  together  by  an  alliance.  You  have  some- 


164        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

thing  which  almost  approaches  an  alliance  with  an- 
other country.  I  am  going  to  tell  you  in  plain 
words  what  I  think  you  have  been  given  to  under- 
stand indirectly  many  times  during  the  last  few 
years  —  that  understanding  is  not  approved  of  in 
St.  Petersburg." 

Monsieur  Douaille  knocked  the  ash  from  his  ciga- 
rette. He  gazed  thoughtfully  into  the  fire  of  pine 
logs  which  was  burning  upon  the  open  hearth. 

"  Mr.  Grex,"  he  said,  "  that  is  plainer  speaking 
than  we  have  ever  received  from  any  official  source." 

"  I  admit  it,"  Mr.  Grex  replied.  "  Such  a  state- 
ment on  my  part  may  sound  a  little  startling,  but  I 
make  it  advisedly.  I  know  the  feeling  —  you  will 
grant  that  my  position  entitles  me  to  know  the  feel- 
ing —  of  the  men  who  count  for  anything  in  Rus- 
sian politics.  Perhaps  I  do  not  mean  the  titular 
heads  of  my  Government.  There  are  others  who 
have  even  more  responsibilities,  who  count  for  more. 
I  honestly  and  truthfully  assure  you  that  I  speak 
for  the  powers  that  are  behind  the  Government  of 
Russia  when  I  tell  you  that  the  English  dream  of  a 
triple  alliance  between  Russia,  England,  and  France 
will  never  be  accepted  by  my  country." 

Monsieur  Douaille  sipped  his  champagne. 

*'  This  is  candour,"  he  remarked,  "  absolute  can- 
dour. One  speaks  quite  plainly,  I  imagine,  before 
our  friend  the  enemy?  "  he  added,  smiling  towards 
Selingman. 

"  Why  not  ?  "  Selingman  demanded.  "  Why  not, 
indeed  ?  We  are  not  fools  here." 

"  Then  I  would  ask  you,  Mr.  Grex,"  Monsieur 
Douaille  continued,  "  where  in  the  name  of  all  that  is 


INTERNATIONAL  POLITICS  165 

equitable  are  you  to  find  an  alliance  more  likely  to 
preserve  the  status  quo  in  Europe?  Both  logically 
and  geographically  it  absolutely  dovetails.  Russia 
is  in  a  position  to  absorb  the  whole  attention  of  Aus- 
tria and  even  to  invade  the  north  coast  of  Germany. 
The  hundred  thousand  troops  or  so  upon  which  we 
could  rely  from  Great  Britain,  would  be  invaluable 
for  many  reasons  —  first,  because  a  mixture  of  blood 
is  always  good;  secondly,  because  the  regular  army 
which  perforce  they  would  have  to  send  us,  is  of  very 
fine  fighting  material;  and  thirdly,  because  they 
could  land,  to  give  away  a  very  open  secret  to  you> 
my  friend  Selingman,  in  a  westerly  position,  and 
would  very  likely  succeed  thereby  in  making  an  out- 
flanking movement  towards  the  north.  I  presume 
that  at  present  the  German  fleet  would  not  come 
out  to  battle,  in  which  case  the  English  would  cer- 
tainly be  able  to  do  great  execution  upon  the  north- 
ern coast  of  Germany.  All  this,  of  course,  has  been, 
discussed  and  written  about,  and  the  next  war  been 
mapped  out  in  a  dozen  different  ways.  I  must  con- 
fess, however,  that  taking  every  known  consideration 
into  account,  I  can  find  no  other  distribution  of 
powers  so  reasonable  or  so  favourable  to  my  coun- 
try." 

Mr.  Grex  nodded. 

"  I  find  no  fault  with  any  word  of  what  you  have 
said,*'  he  declared,  "  except  that  yours  is  simply  the 
superficial  and  obvious  idea  of  the  man  in  the  street 
as  to  the  course  of  the  next  probable  war.  Now  let 
us  go  a  little  further.  I  grant  all  the  points  which 
you  urge  in  favour  of  your  suggested  triple  alliance. 
I  will  even  admit  that  your  forecast  of  a  war  tak- 


r66        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

ing  place  under  such  conditions,  is  a  fairly  faithful 
one.  We  proceed,  then.  The  war,  if  it  came  to 
pass,  could  never  be  decisive.  An  immense  amount 
•of  blood  would  be  shed,  treasure  recklessly  poured 
out,  Europe  be  rendered  desolate,  for  the  sake  most 
largely  of  whom  ?  —  of  Japan  and  America.  That 
is  the  weakness  of  the  whole  thing.  A  war  carried 
out  on  the  lines  you  suggest  would  be  playing  the 
game  of  these  two  countries.  Even  the  victors 
would  be  placed  at  a  huge  disadvantage  with  them, 
to  say  nothing  of  the  losers,  who  must  see  slipping 
-away  from  them  forever  their  place  under  the  sun. 
It  is  my  opinion  —  and  I  have  studied  this  matter 
most  scientifically  and  with  the  help  of  the  Secret 
Service  of  every  country,  not  excepting  your  own, 
Herr  Selingman  —  it  is  my  opinion  that  this  war 
must  be  indecisive.  The  German  fleet  would  be  crip- 
pled and  not  destroyed.  The  English  fleet  would 
retain  its  proportionate  strength.  No  French  ad- 
vance into  Germany  would  be  successful,  no  German 
advance  into  France  is  likely.  The  war  would  lan- 
guish for  lack  of  funds,  through  sheer  inanition  it 
would  flicker  out,  and  the  money  of  the  world  would 
flow  into  the  treasuries  of  America.  Russia  would 
not  be  fighting  for  her  living.  With  her  it  could  be 
at  best  but  a  half-hearted  war.  She  would  do  her 
duty  to  the  alliance.  Nothing  more  could  be 
hoped  from  her.  You  could  not  expect,  for  in- 
stance, that  she  would  call  up  all  her  reserves,  leave 
the  whole  of  her  eastern  frontier  unprotected,  and 
throw  into  mid-Europe  such  a  force  as  would  in  time 
subjugate  Germany.  This  could  be  done  but  it  will 
not  be  done.  We  all  know  that." 


INTERNATIONAL  POLITICS  167 

Monsieur  Douaille  smoked  thoughtfully  for  sev- 
eral moments. 

"  Very  well,"  he  pronounced  at  last,  "  I  am  rather 
inclined  to  agree  with  all  that  you  have  said.  Yet 
it  seems  to  me  that  you  evade  the  great  point.  The 
status  quo  is  what  we  desire,  peace  is  what  the 
world  wants.  If,  before  such  a  war  as  you  have 
spoken  of  is  begun,  people  realise  what  the  end  of  it 
must  be,  don't  you  think  that  that  itself  is  the  great- 
est help  towards  peace?  My  own  opinion  is,  I  tell 
you  frankly,  that  for  many  years  to  come,  at  any 
rate,  there  will  be  no  war." 

Herr  Selingman  set  down  his  glass  and  turned 
slowly  around. 

"  Then  let  me  tell  you  that  you  are  mistaken,"  he 
declared  solemnly.  "  Listen  to  me,  my  friend  Dou- 
aille —  my  friend,  mind,  and  not  the  statesman  Dou- 
aille. I  am  a  German  citizen  and  you  are  a  French 
one,  and  I  tell  you  that  if  in  three  years'  time  your 
country  does  not  make  up  its  mind  to  strike  a  blow 
for  Alsace  and  Lorraine,  then  in  three  years'  time 
Germany  will  declare  war  upon  you." 

Monsieur  Douaille  had  the  expression  of  a  man 
who  doubts.  Selingman  frowned.  He  was  sud- 
denly immensely  serious.  He  struck  the  palm  of  one 
hand  a  great  blow  with  his  clenched  fist. 

"  Why  is  it  that  no  one  in  the  world  understands," 
he  cried,  "  what  Germany  wants  ?  I  tell  you,  Mon- 
sieur Douaille,  that  we  don't  hate  your  country. 
We  love  it.  We  crowd  to  Paris.  We  expand  there. 
It  is  the  holiday  place  of  every  good  German.  Who 
wants  a  ruined  France  ?  Not  we !  Yet,  unless  there 
3f  a  change  in  the  international  situation,  we  shall 


168        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

go  to  war  with  you  and  I  will  tell  you  why.  There 
are  no  secrets  about  this  sort  of  thing.  Every  poli- 
tician who  is  worth  his  salt  knows  them.  The  only 
difficulty  is  to  know  when  a  country  is  in  earnest, 
and  how  far  it  will  go.  That  is  the  value  of  our 
meeting.  That  is  what  I  am  here  to  say.  We  shall 
go  to  war  with  you,  Monsieur  Douaille,  to  get  Calais, 
and  when  we've  got  Calais  —  oh,  my  God !  "  Seling- 
man  almost  reverently  concluded,  "  then  our  solemn 
task  will  be  begun." 

"  England !  "  Monsieur  Douaille  murmured. 

There  was  a  brief  pause.  Selingman  had  seemed, 
for  a  moment,  to  have  passed  into  the  clouds. 
There  was  a  sort  of  gloomy  rapture  upon  his  face. 
He  caught  up  Douaille's  last  word  and  repeated  it. 

"  England !     England,  and  through  her  ..." 

He  moved  to  the  sideboard  and  filled  his  tumbler 
with  wine.  When  he  came  back  to  his  place,  his  ex- 
pression had  lightened. 

"  Ah,  well !  dear  Monsieur  Douaille,"  he  exclaimed, 
patting  the  other's  shoulder  in  friendly  fashion,  "  to- 
night we  merely  chatter.  To-night  we  are  here  to 
make  friends,  to  gain  each  the  confidence  of  the 
other.  To  ourselves  let  us  pretend  that  we  are  lit- 
tle boys,  playing  the  game  of  our  nation  —  France, 
Germany,  and  Russia.  Germany  and  Russia,  to  be 
frank  with  you,  are  waiting  for  one  last  word  from 
Germany's  father,  something  splendid  and  definite 
to  offer.  What  we  would  like  France  to  do,  while 
France  loses  its  money  at  roulette  and  flirts  with  the 
pretty  ladies  at  Giro's,  is  to  try  and  accustom  itself 
not  to  an  alliance  with  Germany  —  no !  Nothing 
ao  Utopian  as  that.  The  lion  and  the  lamb  may  re- 


INTERNATIONAL  POLITICS  169 

main  apart.  They  may  agree  to  be  friends,  they 
may  even  wave  paws  at  one  another,  but  I  do  not 
suggest  that  they  march  side  by  side.  What  we  ask 
of  France  is  that  she  looks  the  other  way.  It  is  very 
easy  to  look  the  other  way.  She  might  look,  for  in- 
stance —  towards  Egypt." 

There  was  a  sudden  glitter  in  the  eyes  of  Mon- 
sieur Douaille.  Selingman  saw  it  and  pressed  on. 

"  There  are  laurels  to  be  won  which  will  never 
fade,"  he  continued,  setting  down  his  empty  tumbler, 
"  laurels  to  be  won  by  that  statesman  of  your  coun- 
try, the  little  boy  France,  who  is  big  enough  and 
strong  enough  to  stand  with  his  feet  upon  the  earth 
and  proclaim  — *  I  am  for  France  and  my  own  peo- 
ple, and  my  own  people  only,  and  I  will  make  them 
great  through  all  the  centuries  by  seeing  the  truth 
and  leading  them  towards  it,  single-purposed,  single- 
minded.'  .  .  .  But  these  things  are  not  to  be  dis- 
posed of  so  readily  as  this  wonderful  Berncastler  — 
I  beg  its  pardon,  Berncastler  Doctor  —  of  our  host. 
For  to-night  I  have  said  my  say.  I  have  whims,  per- 
haps, but  with  me  serious  affairs  are  finished  for  the 
night.  I  go  to  the  Sporting  Club.  Mademoiselle 
keeps  my  place  at  the  baccarat  table.  I  feel  in  the 
vein.  It  is  a  small  place,  Monte  Carlo.  Let  us 
make  no  appointments.  We  shall  drift  together. 
And,  monsieur,"  he  concluded,  laying  his  hand  for  a 
moment  upon  Douaille's  shoulder,  "  let  the  thought 
sink  into  your  brain.  Wipe  out  that  geographical 
and  logical  map  of  Europe  from  your  mind;  see 
things,  if  you  can,  in  the  new  daylight.  Then,  when 
the  idea  has  been  there  for  just  a  little  time  —  well, 
we  speak  again.  .  .  .  Come,  Draconmeyer.  I  am 


MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

relying  upon  your  car  to  get  me  into  Monte  Carlo. 
My  bounteous  host,  Mr.  Grex,  good  night !  I  touch 
your  hand  with  reverence.  The  man  who  possesses 
such  wine  and  offers  it  to  his  friends,  is  indeed  a 
prince." 

Mr.  Grex  rose  a  little  unwillingly  from  his  chair. 

"  It  is  of  no  use  to  protest,"  he  remarked,  smiling. 
"  Our  friend  Selingman  will  have  his  way.  Besides, 
as  he  reminded  us,  there  is  one  last  word  to  arrive. 
Come  and  breathe  the  odours  of  the  Riviera,  Mon- 
sieur Douaille.  This  is  when  I  realise  that  I  am  not 
at  my  villa  on  the  Black  Sea." 

They  passed  out  into  the  hall  and  stood  on  the 
terrace  while  the  cars  drew  up.  The  light  outside 
seemed  faintly  violet.  The  perfume  of  mimosa  and 
roses  and  oleander  came  to  him  in  long  waves,  subtle 
and  yet  invigorating.  Below,  the  lights  of  Monte 
Carlo,  clear  and  brilliant,  with  no  northern  fog  or 
mist  to  dull  their  radiance,  shone  like  gems  in  the 
mantle  of  night.  Selingman  sighed  as  he  stepped 
into  the  automobile. 

"  We  are  men  who  deserve  well  from  history,"  he 
declared,  "  who,  in  the  midst  of  a  present  so  wonder- 
ful, can  spare  time  to  plan  for  the  generations  to 
come ! " 


CHAPTER  XVI 

A    BARGAIN    WITH    JEAN    COULOIS 

Selingman  drew  out  his  watch  and  held  it  under- 
neath the  electric  light  set  in  the  back  of  the  auto- 
mobile. 

"  Good !  "  he  declared.  "  It  is  not  yet  half -past 
eleven." 

"  Too  early  for  the  Austria,"  Draconmeyer  mur- 
mured, a  little  absently. 

Selingman  returned  the  watch  to  his  pocket. 

"  By  no  means,"  he  objected-  "  Mademoiselle  is 
doubtless  amusing  herself  well  enough,  but  if  I  go 
now  and  leave  in  an  hour,  she  will  be  peevish.  She 
might  want  to  accompany  us.  To-night  it  would 
not  be  convenient.  Tell  your  chauffeur,  Dracon- 
meyer, to  take  us  direct  to  the  rendezvous.  We  can 
at  least  watch  the  people  there.  One  is  always 
amused.  We  will  forget  our  nervous  friend.  These 
little  touches,  Draconmeyer,  my  man,  they  mark 
the  man  of  genius,  mind  you.  Did  you  notice  how 
his  eyes  lit  up  when  I  whispered  that  one  word 
*  Egypt '  ?  It  is  a  great  game  when  you  bait  your 
hook  with  men  and  fish  for  empires ! " 

Draconmeyer  gave  an  instruction  to  his  chauffeur 
and  leaned  back. 

"  If  we  succeed, — "  he  began. 

"  Succeed? "      Selingman      interrupted.     "  Why, 


172        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

man  alive,  he  is  on  our  hooks  already!  Be  at  rest, 
my  friend.  The  affair  is  half  arranged.  It  remains 
only  with  us  to  deal  with  one  man." 

Draconmeyer's  eyes  sparkled  beneath  his  specta- 
cles. A  slow  smile  crept  over  his  white  face. 

"  You  are  right,"  he  agreed.  "  That  man  is 
test  out  of  the  way.  If  he  and  Douaille  should 
meet  — " 

"  They  shall  not  meet,"  Selingman  thundered. 
"  I,  Selingman,  declare  it.  We  are  here  already. 
Good!  The  aspect  of  the  place  pleases  me." 

The  two  men,  arriving  so  early,  received  the  dis- 
tinguished consideration  of  a  bowing  maitre  d'hotel 
as  they  entered  the  Austria.  They  were  ushered  at 
once  to  a  round  table  in  a  favourable  position.  Sel- 
ingman surrendered  his  hat  and  coat  to  the  obsequi- 
ous vestiaire,  pulled  down  his  waistcoat  with  a  fa*- 
miliar  gesture,  spread  his  pudgy  hands  upon  the  ta- 
ble and  looked  around  him  with  a  smile  of  benevolent 
approval. 

"  I  shall  amuse  myself  here,"  he  declared  confi- 
dently. "  Pass  the  menu  to  me,  Draconmeyer. 
You  have  no  more  idea  how  to  eat  than  a  rabbit. 
That  is  why  you  suffer  from  indigestion.  At  this 
hour  —  why,  it  is  not  midnight  yet  —  one  needs  sus- 
tenance —  sustenance,  mark  you,  intelligently  se- 
lected, something  nourishing  yet  not  heavy.  A 
sheet  of  paper,  waiter.  You  see,  I  like  to  write  out 
my  dishes.  It  saves  trouble  and  there  are  no  dis- 
appointments, nothing  is  forgotten.  As  to  the  wine, 
show  me  the  vintage  champagnes.  ...  So !  You 
need  not  hurry  with  the  meal.  We  shall  spend  some 
time  here." 


A  BARGAIN  WITH  JEAN  COULOIS     173 

Draconmeyer  arrested  the  much  impressed  maitre 
d'hotel  as  he  was  hurrying  away. 

"  Is  there  dancing  here  to-night  ?  "  he  enquired. 

"  But  certainly,  monsieur,"  the  man  replied.  "  A 
Spanish  lady,  altogether  ravishing,  the  equal  of 
Otero  at  her  best  —  Signorina  Melita." 

"  She  dances  alone?  " 

"  By  no  means.  There  is  the  young  Frenchman, 
Jean  Coulois,  who  is  engaged  for  the  season.  A 
wonderful  pair,  indeed!  When  May  comes,  they  go 
to  the  music-halls  in  Paris  and  London." 

Draconmeyer  nodded  approval. 

"  Coulois  was  the  name,"  he  whispered  to  Seling- 
man,  as  the  man  moved  away. 

The  place  filled  up  slowly.  Presently  the  supper 
was  served.  Selingman  ate  with  appetite,  Dracon- 
meyer only  sparingly.  The  latter,  however,  drank 
more  freely  than  usual.  The  wine  had,  neverthe- 
less, curiously  little  effect  upon  him,  save  for  a 
slight  additional  brightness  of  the  eyes.  His  cheeks 
remained  pale,  his  manner  distrait.  He  watched 
the  people  enter  and  pass  to  their  places,  without  any 
apparent  interest.  Selingman,  on  the  other  hand, 
easily  absorbed  the  spirit  of  his  surroundings.  As 
the  night  wore  on  he  drank  healths  with  his  neigh- 
bours, beamed  upon  the  pretty  little  Frenchwoman 
who  was  selling  flowers,  ate  and  drank  what  was  set 
before  him  with  obvious  enjoyment.  Both  men, 
however,  showed  at  least  an  equal  interest  when 
Mademoiselle  Melita,  in  Spanish  costume,  accom- 
panied by  a  slim,  dark-visaged  man,  began  to  dance. 
Draconmeyer  was  no  longer  restless.  He  sat  with 
folded  arms,  watching  the  performance  with  a 


174        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

strangely  absorbed  air.  One  thing,  however,  was 
singular.  Although  Selingman  was  confessedly  a 
ladies'  man,  his  eyes,  after  her  first  few  movements, 
scarcely  rested  for  a  moment  upon  the  girl.  Both 
Draconmeyer  and  he  watched  her  companion  stead- 
fastly. When  the  dance  was  over  they  applauded 
with  spirit.  Selingman  sat  up  in  his  place,  a  cham- 
pagne bottle  in  his  hand.  He  beckoned  to  the  man, 
who,  with  a  little  deprecating  shrug  of  the  shoulders, 
swaggered  up  to  their  table  with  some  show  of  con- 
descension. 

"  A  chair  for  Monsieur  Jean  Coulois,  the  great 
dancer,"  Selingman  ordered,  "  a  glass,  and  another 
bottle  of  wine.  Monsieur  Jean,  my  congratulations ! 
But  a  word  in  your  ear.  Her  steps  do  not  match 
yours.  It  is  you  who  make  the  dance.  She  has  no 
initiative.  She  can  do  nothing  but  imitate,"  he 
added. 

The  dancer  looked  at  his  host  a  little  curiously. 
He  was  slightly  built  and  without  an  atom  of  colour. 
His  black  hair  was  closely  cropped,  his  eyes  of  som- 
bre darkness,  his  demeanour  almost  sullen.  At  Sel- 
ingman's  words,  however,  he  nodded  rapidly  and 
seated  himself  more  firmly  upon  his  chair.  It  was 
apparent  that  although  his  face  remained  expres- 
sionless, he  was  gratified. 

"  They  notice  nothing,  these  others,"  he  remarked, 
with  a  little  wave  of  the  hand.  "  It  is  always  the 
woman  who  counts.  You  are  right,  monsieur.  She 
dances  like  a  stick.  She  has  good  calves  and  she 
rolls  her  eyes.  The  canaille  applaud.  It  is  always 
like  that.  Your  health,  monsieur !  " 

He  drank  his  wine  without  apparent  enjoyment, 


but  he  drank  it  like  water.  Selingman  leaned  across 
the  table. 

"  Coulois,"  he  whispered,  "  the  wolves  bay  loudest 
at  night,  is  it  not  so  ?  " 

The  man  sat  quite  still.  If  such  a  thing  had  been 
possible,  he  might  have  grown  a  shade  paler.  His 
eyes  glittered.  He  looked  steadfastly  at  Selingman. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  he  muttered. 

"  The  wolves  sleep  in  the  daytime,"  Selingman  re- 
plied. 

The  dancer  shrugged  his  shoulders.  He  held  out 
his  glass  to  be  replenished.  The  double  password 
had  reassured  him. 

"  Pardon,  monsieur,"  he  said,  "  these  have  been 
anxious  hours." 

"  The  little  affair  at  La  Turbie?  "  Selingman  sug- 
gested. 

Coulois  set  down  his  glass  for  the  first  time  half 
finished.  His  mouth  had  taken  an  evil  turn.  He 
leaned  across  the  table. 

"  See  you,"  he  exclaimed  in  a  hoarse  whisper, 
"  what  happened,  happened  justly !  Martin  is  re- 
sponsible. The  whole  thing  was  conducted  in  the 
spirit  of  a  pantomime,  a  great  joke.  Who  are  we, 
the  Wolves,  to  brandish  empty  firearms,  to  shrink 
from  letting  a  little  blood !  Bah !  " 

He  finished  his  wine.  Selingman  nodded  approv- 
ingly as  he  refilled  his  glass. 

"  My  friend  and  I,"  he  confided,  "  were  amongst 
those  who  were  held  up.  Imagine  it!  We  stood 
against  the  wall  like  a  row  of  dummies.  Such  treas- 
ure as  I  have  never  before  seen  was  poured  into  that 
sack.  Jewels,  my  friend,  such  as  only  the  women  of 


176        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Monte  Carlo  wear!  Packet  after  packet  of  mille 
notes!  Wealth  immeasurable!  Oh,  Coulois,  Cou- 
lois,  it  was  an  opportunity  lost ! " 

"  Lost !  "  the  dancer  echoed  fiercely.  "  It  was 
thrown  into  the  gutter!  It  was  madness!  It  was 
hellish,  such  ill-fortune!  Yet  what  could  I  do?  If 
I  had  been  absent  from  here  —  I,  Coulois,  whom  men 
know  of  —  even  the  police  would  have  had  no  excuse. 
So  it  was  Martin  who  must  lead.  Our  armoury  had 
never  been  fuller.  There  were  revolvers  for  every 
one,  ammunition  for  a  thousand.  .  .  .  Pardon,  mon- 
sieur, but  I  cannot  talk  of  this  affair.  The  anger 
rises  so  hot  in  my  heart  that  I  fear  to  betray  myself 
to  those  who  may  be  listening.  And  besides,  you 
have  not  come  here  to  talk  with  me  of  it." 

"  It  is  true,"  Selingman  confessed. 

There  was  a  brief  silence.  The  dancer  was  study- 
ing them  both.  There  was  uneasiness  in  his  expres- 
sion. 

"  I  do  not  understand,"  he  enquired  hoarsely, 
"  how  you  came  by  the  passwords  ?  " 

"  Make  yourself  wholly  at  ease,  my  young  friend," 
Selingman  begged  him  reassuringly.  "  We  are  men 
of  the  world,  my  friend  and  I.  We  seek  our  own 
ends  in  life  and  we  have  often  to  make  use  of  the 
nearest  and  the  best  means  for  the  purpose  of  se- 
curing them.  Martin  has  served  me  before.  A 
week  ago  I  should  have  gone  to  him.  To-night,  as 
you  know,  he  lies  in  prison." 

"Martin,  indeed!"  the  dancer  jeered.  "You 
would  have  gone,  then,  to  a  man  of  sawdust,  a 
chicken-livered  bungler!  What  is  it  that  you  want 
done?  Speak  to  me.  I  am  a  man." 


A  BARGAIN  WITH  JEAN  COULOIS     177 

The  leader  of  the  orchestra  was  essaying  upon  his 
violin  the  tentative  strains  of  a  popular  air.  The 
girl  had  reappeared  and  was  poising  herself  upon  her 
toes.  The  leader  of  the  orchestra  summoned  Cou- 
lois. 

"  I  must  dance,"  he  announced.  "  Afterwards  I 
will  return." 

He  leapt  lightly  to  his  feet  and  swung  into  the 
room  with  extended  arms.  Draconmeyer  looked 
down  at  his  plate. 

"  It  is  a  risk,  this,  we  are  running,"  he  muttered. 
"  I  do  not  see,  Selingman,  why  you  could  not  have 
hired  this  fellow  through  Allen  or  one  of  the  others." 

Selingman  shook  his  head. 

"  See  here,  Draconmeyer,"  he  explained,  "  this  is 
one  of  the  cases  where  agents  are  dangerous.  For 
Allen  to  have  been  seen  with  Jean  Coulois  here  would 
have  been  the  same  as  though  I  had  been  seen  with 
him  myself.  I  cannot,  alas !  in  this  place,  with  my 
personality,  keep  my  identity  concealed.  They 
know  that  I  am  Selingman.  They  know  well  that 
wherever  I  move,  I  have  with  me  men  of  my  Secret 
Service.  I  cannot  use  them  against  Hunterleys. 
Too  many  are  in  the  know.  Here  we  are  simply 
two  visitors  who  talk  to  a  dancer.  We  depart.  We 
do  not  see  him  again  until  afterwards.  Besides,  this 
is  where  fate  is  with  us.  What  more  natural  than 
that  the  Wolves  should  revenge  themselves  upon  the 
man  who  captured  one  of  their  leaders?  It  was  the 
young  American,  Richard  Lane,  who  really  started 
the  debacle,  but  it  was  Hunterleys  who  seized  Mar- 
tin. What  more  natural  than  revenge?  These  fel- 
lows hang  by  one  another  always." 


I78        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Draconmeyer  nodded  with  grim  approval. 

"  It  was  devilish  work  he  did  in  Sofia,"  he  said 
softly.  "  But  for  him,  much  of  this  would  have  beett 
unnecessary." 

The  dance  was  over.  Both  men  joined  enthusi- 
astically in  the  applause.  Coulois,  with  an  insolent 
nod  to  his  admirers,  returned  to  his  seat.  He  threw 
himself  back  in  his  chair,  crossed  his  legs  and  held 
out  his  empty  glass.  Though  he  had  been  dancing 
furiously,  there  was  not  a  single  bead  of  perspiration 
upon  his  forehead. 

"  You  are  in  good  condition,  my  friend,"  Seling- 
man  observed  admiringly. 

"  I  need  to  be  for  my  work,"  Coulois  replied. 
"  Let  us  get  to  business.  There  is  no  need  to  mince 
words.  What  do  you  want  with  me?  Who  is  the 
quarry  ?  " 

"  The  man  who  ruined  your  little  affair  at  La  Tur- 
bie  and  captured  your  comrade  Martin,"  Selingman 
whispered.  "  You  see,  you  have  every  provocation 
to  start  with." 

Coulois'  eyes  glittered. 

"  He  was  an  Englishman,"  he  muttered. 

"  Quite  true,"  Selingman  assented.  "  His  name  is 
Hunterleys  —  Sir  Henry  Hunterleys.  He  lives  at 
the  Hotel  de  Paris.  His  room  is  number  189.  He 
spends  his  time  upon  the  Terrace,  at  the  Cafe  de 
Paris,  and  in  the  Sporting  Club.  Every  morning 
he  goes  to  the  English  Bank  for  his  letters,  deals 
with  them  in  his  room,  calls  at  the  post-office  and 
takes  a  walk,  often  up  into  the  hills." 

"  Come,  come,  this  is  not  so  bad ! "  Coulois  ex- 
claimed. "  They  laugh  at  us  in  the  cafes  and  down 


A  BARGAIN  WITH  JEAN  COULOIS      179 

in  the  wine  shops  of  Monaco,  those  who  know,"  he 
went  on,  frowning.  "  They  say  that  the  Wolves 
have  become  sheep.  We  shall  see!  It  is  an  affair, 
this,  worth  considering.  What  do  you  pay,  Mon- 
sieur le  Gros,  and  for  how  long  do  you  wish  him  out 
of  the  way  ?  " 

"  The  pay,"  Selingman  announced,  "  is  two  hun- 
dred louis,  and  the  man  must  be  in  hospital  for  at 
least  a  fortnight." 

Draconmeyer  leaned  suddenly  forward.  His  eyes 
were  bright,  his  hands  gripped  the  table. 

"  Listen !  "  he  whispered  in  Coulois'  ear.  "  Are 
the  Wolves  sheep,  indeed,  that  they  can  do  no  more 
than  twist  ankles  and  break  heads?  That  two  hun- 
dred shall  be  five  hundred,  Jean  Coulois,  but  it  must 
be  a  cemetery  to  which  they  take  him,  and  not  a 
hospital ! " 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  Selingman  sat 
back  in  his  place.  He  was  staring  at  his  companion 
with  wide-open  eyes.  Jean  Coulois  was  moistening 
his  lips  with  his  tongue,  his  eyes  were  brilliant. 

"  Five  hundred  louis ! "  he  repeated  under  his 
breath. 

"  Is  it  not  enough?  "  Draconmeyer  asked  coldly. 
"  I  do  not  believe  in  half  measures.  The  man  who 
is  wounded  may  be  well  before  he  is  welcome.  If  five 
hundred  louis  is  not  enough,  name  your  price, 
but  let  there  be  no  doubt.  Let  me  see  what  the 
Wolves  can  do  when  it  is  their  leader  who  handles  the 
knife ! " 

The  face  of  the  dancer  was  curiously  impassive. 
He  lifted  his  glass  and  drained  it. 

"  An  affair  of  death ! "  he  exclaimed  softly.     "  We 


180        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Wolves  —  we  bite,  we  wound,  we  rob.  But  death  — • 
ugh !  There  are  ugly  things  to  be  thought  of." 

"  And  pleasant  ones,"  Draconmeyer  reminded  him. 
"  Five  hundred  louis  is  not  enough.  It  shall  be  six 
hundred.  A  man  may  do  much  with  six  hundred 
golden  louis." 

Selingman  sat  forward  once  more  in  his  place. 

"  Look  here,"  he  intervened,  "  you  go  too  far,  my 
friend.  You  never  spoke  to  me  of  this.  What  have 
you  against  Hunterleys  ?  " 

"  His  nationality,"  Draconmeyer  answered  coolly. 
"  I  hate  all  Englishmen!  " 

The  gaiety  had  left  Selingman's  face.  He  gazed 
at  his  companion  with  a  curious  expression. 

"  My  friend,"  he  murmured,  "  I  fear  that  you  are 
vindictive." 

"  Perhaps,"  Draconmeyer  replied  quietly.  "  In 
these  matters  I  like  to  be  on  the  safe  side." 

Jean  Coulois  struck  the  table  lightly  with  his 
small,  feminine  hand.  He  showed  all  his  teeth  as 
though  he  had  been  listening  to  an  excellent  joke. 

"  It  is  to  be  done,"  he  decided.  "  There  is  no 
more  to  be  said." 

Some  visitors  had  taken  the  next  table.  Coulois 
drew  his  chair  a  little  closer  to  Draconmeyer. 

"  I  accept  the  engagement,"  he  continued.  "  We 
will  talk  no  more.  Monsieur  desires  my  address? 
It  is  here," —  scribbling  on  a  piece  of  paper.  "  But 
monsieur  may  be  warned,"  he  added,  with  a  light- 
ning-like flash  in  his  eyes  as  he  became  conscious  of 
the  observation  of  some  passers-by.  "  I  will  not 
dance  in  England.  I  will  not  leave  Monte  Carlo  be- 
fore May.  Half  that  sum  —  three  hundred  louis, 


A  BARGAIN  WITH  JEAN  COULOIS      181 

mind  —  must  come  to  me  on  trust;  the  other  three 
hundred  afterwards.  Never  fear  but  that  I  will  give 
satisfaction.  Keep  your  part  of  the  bargain,"  he 
added,  under  his  breath,  "  and  the  Wolves'  fangs  are 
already  in  this  man's  throat." 

He  danced  again.  The  two  men  watched  him. 
Draconmeyer's  face  was  as  still  and  colourless  as 
ever.  In  Selingman's  there  was  a  shade  of  some- 
thing almost  like  repulsion.  He  poured  himself  out 
a  glass  of  champagne. 

"  Draconmeyer,"  he  exclaimed,  "  you  are  a  cold- 
blooded fish,  indeed!  You  can  sit  there  without 
blinking  and  think  of  this  thing  which  we  have  done. 
Now  as  for  me,  I  have  a  heart.  I  can  never  see  the 
passing  out  of  the  game  of  even  a  bitter  opponent, 
without  a  shiver.  Talk  philosophy  to  me,  Dracon- 
meyer. My  nerves  are  shaken." 

Draconmeyer  turned  his  head.  He,  too,  raised  his 
wine  to  his  lips  and  drank  deliberately. 

"  My  friend,"  he  said,  "  there  is  no  philosophy 
save  one.  A  child  cries  for  the  star  he  may  not 
have ;  the  weak  man  comforts  himself  in  privation  by 
repeating  to  himself  the  dry-as-dust  axioms  con- 
ceived in  an  alien  brain,  and  weaving  from  them  the 
miserable  comfort  of  empty  words.  The  man  who 
knows  lift  and  has  found  wisdom,  pays  the  price  for 
the  thing  he  desires,  and  obtains  it !  " 


CHAPTER  XVII 

DUTY   INTERFERES    AGAIN 

Hunterleys  sat  that  night  alone  in  a  seat  at  the 
Opera  for  a  time  and  lost  himself  in  a  maze  of  recol- 
lections. He  seemed  to  find  himself  growing  younger 
as  he  listened  to  the  music.  The  days  of  a  more 
vivid  and  ardent  sentimentality  seemed  to  reassert 
themselves.  He  thought  of  the  hours  when  he  had 
sat  side  by  side  with  his  wife,  the  only  woman  to 
whom  he  had  ever  given  a  thought;  of  the  thrill 
which  even  the  touch  of  her  fingers  had  given  him,  of 
the  drive  home  together,  the  little  confidences  and 
endearments,  the  glamour  which  seemed  to  have  been 
thrown  over  life  before  those  unhappy  misunder- 
standings. He  remembered  so  well  the  beginning  of 
them  all  —  the  terrible  pressure  of  work  which  was 
thrown  upon  his  shoulders,  his  engrossed  days,  his 
disturbed  nights  ;  her  patience  at  first,  her  subsequent 
petulance,  her  final  anger.  He  was  engaged  often 
in  departmental  work  which  he  could  not  even  ex- 
plain. She  had  taken  up  with  unhappy  facility  the 
role  of  a  neglected  wife.  She  declared  that  he  had 
ceased  to  care  for  the  lighter  ways.  There  had  cer- 
tainly been  a  time  when  her  complaints  had  been 
apparently  justified,  when  the  Opera  had  been 
banned,  theatres  were  impossible,  when  she  could  not 
even  rely  upon  his  escort  to  a  dinner  or  to  a  recep- 


DUTY  INTERFERES  AGAIN  183 

tion.  He  had  argued  with  her  very  patiently  at 
first,  but  very  unsuccessfully.  It  was  then  that  her 
friendship  with  Linda  Draconmeyer  had  been  so  vig- 
orously renewed,  a  friendship  which  seemed  from  the 
first  to  have  threatened  his  happiness.  Had  it  been 
his  fault  ?  he  wondered.  Had  he  really  been  too  much 
engrossed  in  his  work?  His  country  had  made  large 
demands  upon  him  in  those  days.  Had  he  ever  ex- 
plained the  matter  fully  and  carefully  enough  to  her? 
Perhaps  not.  At  any  rate,  he  was  the  sufferer.  He 
realised  more  than  ever,  as  the  throbbing  of  the 
music  stole  into  his  blood,  the  loneliness  of  his  life. 
And  yet  it  seemed  so  hopeless.  Supposing  he  threw 
up  his  work  and  let  things  take  their  course?  The 
bare  thought  chilled  him.  He  recognised  it  as  un- 
worthy. The  great  song  of  mortification  from  the 
broken  hero  rang  in  his  ears.  Must  every  woman 
bring  to  every  man  the  curse  of  Delilah ! . . . 

He  passed  out  of  the  building  into  the  cool,  starlit 
night.  People  were  strolling  about  in  evening 
clothes,  hatless,  the  women  in  white  opera  cloaks  and 
filmy  gowns,  their  silk-stockinged  feet  very  much  in 
evidence,  resembling  almost  some  strange  kind  of 
tropical  birds  with  their  little  shrill  laughter  and 
graceful  movements,  as  they  made  their  way  towards 
the  Club  or  round  to  the  Rooms,  or  to  one  of  the 
restaurants  for  supper.  Whilst  Hunterleys  hesi- 
tated, there  was  a  touch  upon  his  arm.  He  glanced 
around. 

"  Hullo,  David ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  Were  you 
waiting  for  me?  " 

The  young  man  fell  into  step  by  his  side. 

"  I  have  been  to  the  hotel,"  he  said,  in  a  low  tone.. 


184        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  They  thought  you  might  be  here.     Can  you  come 
up  later  —  say  at  one  o'clock?  " 

"  Certainly,"  Hunterleys  answered.  "  Where's 
Sidney?" 

"  He's  working  now.  He'll  be  home  by  half-past 
twelve  unless  anything  goes  wrong.  He  thinks  he'll 
have  something  to  tell  you." 

"  I'll  come,"  Hunterleys  agreed.  "  How's  Fe- 
licia?" 

"  All  right,  but  working  herself  to  death,"  the 
young  man  replied.  "  She  is  getting  anxious,  too. 
Give  her  a  word  of  encouragement  if  you  see  her  to- 
night. She  was  hoping  you  might  have  been  up  to 
see  her." 

"  I  won't  forget,"  Hunterleys  promised. 

The  young  man  drifted  silently  away,  and  Hun- 
terleys, after  a  moment's  hesitation  and  a  glance 
at  his  watch,  turned  towards  the  Club.  He  climbed 
the  broad  staircase,  surrendered  his  hat  and  turned 
in  at  the  roulette  room.  The  magic  of  the  music  was 
still  in  his  veins,  and  he  looked  around  him  almost 
eagerly.  There  was  no  sign  of  Violet.  He  strolled 
into  the  baccarat  room  but  she  was  not  there.  Per- 
haps she,  too,  had  been  at  the  Opera.  In  the  bar 
he  found  Richard  Lane,  sitting  moodily  alone.  The 
young  man  greeted  him  warmly. 

"  Come  and  have  a  drink,  Sir  Henry,"  he 
begged.  "  I've  got  the  hump." 

Hunterleys  sat  down  by  his  side. 

"  Whiskey  and  apollinaris,"  he  ordered.  "  What's 
the  matter  with  you,  Richard  ?  " 

"  She  isn't  here,"  the  young  man  declared.  "  I've 
been  to  the  Rooms  and  she  isn't  there  either." 


DUTY  INTERFERES  AGAIN  185 

"  What  about  the  Opera  ?  "  Hunterleys  asked. 

*'  I  started  at  the  Opera,"  Lane  confessed,  "  took 
a  box  so  as  to  be  able  to  see  the  whole  house.  I  sat 
through  the  first  act  but  there  wasn't  a  sign  of  her. 
Then  I  took  a  spin  out  and  had  another  look  at  the 
villa.  It  was  all  lit  up  as  though  there  were  a  party. 
I  very  nearly  marched  in." 

"  Just  as  well  you  didn't,  I  think,"  Hunterleys 
remarked,  smiling.  "  I  see  you're  feeling  just  the 
same  about  it." 

The  young  man  did  not  even  vouchsafe  an  an- 
swer. 

"  Then  you're  not  going  to  take  advantage  of  your 
little  warning  and  clear  out  ?  "  Hunterleys  contin- 
ued. 

"  Don't  you  think  I'm  big  enough  to  take  care  of 
myself? "  Lane  asked,  with  a  little  laugh.  *'  Be- 
sides, there's  an  American  Consul  here,  and  plenty 
of  English  witnesses  who  saw  the  whole  thing.  Can't 
think  why  they're  trying  on  such  a  silly  game." 

"  Mr.  Grex  may  have  influence,"  Hunterleys  sug- 
gested. 

"  Who  the  mischief  is  my  prospective  father-in- 
law?  "  Richard  demanded,  almost  testily.  "  There's 
an  atmosphere  about  that  house  and  the  servants  I 
can't  understand  a  bit." 

"  You  wouldn't,"  Hunterleys  observed  drily. 
"  Well,  in  a  day  or  two  I'll  tell  you  who  Mr.  Grex  is. 
I'd  rather  not  to-night." 

"  By  the  way,"  Lane  continued,  "  your  wife  was 
asking  if  you  were  here,  a  few  minutes  ago." 

Hunterleys  rose  quickly  to  his  feet. 

"  Where  is  she?  " 


i86        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  She  was  at  her  usual  place  at  the  top  roulette 
table,  but  she  gave  it  up  just  as  I  passed,  said  she 
was  going  to  walk  about,"  the  young  man  replied. 
"  I  don't  think  she  has  left  yet." 

Hunterleys  excused  himself  hastily.  In  the  little 
space  between  the  restaurant  and  the  roulette  rooms 
he  came  suddenly  upon  Violet.  She  was  leaning 
back  in  an  obscure  corner,  with  her  hands  clasped 
helplessly  in  her  lap  before  her.  She  was  sitting 
quite  still  and  his  heart  sank  when  he  saw  her.  The 
lines  under  her  eyes  were  unmistakable  now;  her 
cheeks,  too,  seemed  to  have  grown  hollow.  Her  first 
look  at  him  almost  made  him  forget  all  their  differ- 
ences. There  was  something  piteous  in  the  tremble 
of  her  lips.  He  drew  a  chair  to  her  side. 

"  Richard  told  me  that  you  wished  to  speak  to 
me,"  he  began,  as  lightly  as  he  could. 

"  I  asked  if  he  had  seen  you,  a  few  minutes  ago," 
she  admitted.  "  I  am  afraid  that  my  interest  was 
rather  mercenary." 

"  You  want  to  borrow  some  money?  "  he  enquired, 
taking  out  his  pocket-book. 

She  looked  at  it,  and  though  her  eyes  at  first  were 
listless,  they  still  seemed  fascinated. 

"  I  don't  think  I  can  play  any  more  to-night,"  she 
sighed. 

"  You  have  been  losing?  " 

"Yes!" 

"  Come  and  have  something,"  he  invited.  *'  You 
look  tired." 

She  rose  willingly  enough.  They  passed  out,  side 
by  side,  into  the  little  bar. 

"  Some  champagne?  "  he  suggested. 


DUTY  INTERFERES  AGAIN  187 

She  shook  her  head  quickly.  The  memory  of  the 
champagne  at  dinner-time  came  back  to  her  with  a 
sudden  sickening  insistence.  She  thought  of  the 
loan,  she  thought  of  Draconmeyer  with  a  new  uneas- 
iness. It  was  as  though  she  had  admitted  some  new. 
complication  into  her  life. 

"  Could  I  have  some  tea?  "  she  begged. 

He  ordered  some  and  sat  with  her  while  she 
drank  it. 

"  You  know,"  he  declared,  "  if  I  might  be  permitted 
to  say  so,  I  think  you  are  taking  the  gaming  here 
a  little  too  seriously.  If  you  have  been  unlucky, 
it  is  very  easy  to  arrange  an  advance  for  you. 
Would  you  like  some  money?  If  so,  I  will  see  to  it 
when  I  go  to  the  bank  to-morrow.  I  can  let  you 
have  a  hundred  pounds  at  once,  if  you  like." 

A  hundred  pounds !  If  only  she  dared  tell  him 
that  she  had  lost  a  thousand  within  the  last  two 
hours !  Once  more  he  was  fingering  his  pocket-book. 

"  Come,"  he  went  on  pleasantly,  "  you  had  better 
have  a  hundred  from  me,  for  luck." 

He  counted  out  the  notes.  Her  fingers  began  to 
shake. 

"  I  didn't  mean  to  play  any  more  to-night,"  she 
faltered,  irresolutely. 

"  Nor  should  I,"  he  agreed.  "  Take  my  advice. 
Violet,  and  go  home  now.  This  will  do  for  you  to- 
morrow." 

She  took  the  money  and  dropped  it  into  her  jew- 
elled bag. 

"  Very  well,"  she  said,  "  I  won't  play  any  more, 
but  I  don't  want  to  go  home  yet.  It  is  early,  and  I 
can  never  sleep  here  if  I  go  to  bed.  Sit  with  m«  for 


188        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

half-an-hour,  and  then  perhaps  you  could  give  me 
some  supper?  " 

He  shook  his  head. 

"  I  am  so  sorry,"  he  answered,  "  but  at  one  o'clocl* 
I  have  an  appointment." 

"  An  appointment  ?  " 

"  Such  bad  luck,"  he  continued.  "  It  would  have 
given  me  very  great  pleasure  to  have  had  supper 
with  you,  Violet." 

"  An  appointment  at  one  o'clock,"  she  repeated 
slowly.  "Isn't  that  just  a  little  —  unusual?" 

"  Perhaps  so,"  he  assented.  "  I  can  assure  you 
that  I  am  very  sorry." 

She  leaned  suddenly  towards  him.  The  aloofness 
had  gone  from  her  manner.  The  barrier  seemed  for 
a  moment  to  have  fallen  down.  Once  more  she  was 
the  Violet  he  remembered.  She  smiled  into  his  face, 
and  smiled  with  her  eyes  as  well  as  her  lips,  just  the 
smile  he  had  been  thinking  of  an  hour  ago  in  the 
Opera  House. 

"  Don't  go,  please,"  she  begged.  "  I  am  feel- 
ing lonely  to-night  and  I  am  so  tired  of  everybody 
and  everything.  Take  me  to  supper  at  the  Cafe  de 
Paris.  Then,  if  you  like,  we  might  come  back  here 
for  half-an-hour.  Or  — " 

She  hesitated. 

"  I  am  horribly  sorry,"  he  declared,  in  a  tone 
which  was  full  of  real  regret.  "  Indeed,  Violet*  I 
am.  But  I  have  an  appointment  which  I  must  keep, 
and  I  can't  tell  exactly  how  long  it  may  take  me." 

The  very  fact  that  the  nature  of  that  appointment 
concerned  things  which  from  the  first  he  had  made 
up  his  mind  must  be  kept  entirely  secret,  stiffened 


DUTY  INTERFERES  AGAIN  189 

his  tone.  Her  manner  changed  instantly.  She  had 
drawn  herself  a  little  away.  She  considered  for  a 
moment. 

"  Are  you  inclined  to  tell  me  with  whom  your  ap- 
pointment is,  and  for  what  purpose?  "  she  asked 
coldly.  "  I  don't  want  to  be  exacting,  but  after  the 
request  I  have  made,  and  your  refusal  — " 

"  I  cannot  tell  you,"  he  interrupted.  "  I  can  only 
ask  you  to  take  my  word  for  it  that  it  is  one  which  I 
must  keep." 

She  rose  suddenly  to  her  feet. 

"  I  forgot ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  I  haven't  the 
slightest  right  to  your  confidence.  Besides,  when  I 
come  to  think  of  it,  I  don't  believe  that  I  am  hungry 
at  all.  I  shall  try  my  luck  with  your  money  ?  " 

"Violet!—" 

She  swept  away  with  a  little  farewell  nod,  half  In- 
solent, half  angry.  Hunterleys  watched  her  take 
her  place  at  the  table.  For  several  moments  he  stood 
by  her  side.  She  neither  looked  up  nor  addressed 
him.  Then  he  turned  and  left  the  place. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

A    MIDNIGHT    CONFERENCE 

Hunterleys  remained  in  the  hotel  only  long  enough 
to  change  his  straw  hat  for  a  cap,  put  on  a  long, 
light  overcoat  and  take  an  ash  stick  from  his  ward- 
robe. He  left  the  place  by  an  unfrequented  entrance 
and  commenced  at  once  to  climb  to  the  back  part  of 
the  town.  Once  or  twice  he  paused  and  looked 
around,  to  be  sure  that  he  was  not  followed.  When 
he  had  arrived  as  far  as  the  Hotel  de  Prince  de  Galles, 
he  crossed  the  road.  From  here  he  walked  very 
quickly  and  took  three  turns  in  rapid  succession. 
Finally  he  pushed  open  a  little  gate  and  passed  up  a 
tiled  walk  which  led  between  a  little  border  of  rose 
trees  to  a  small  white  villa,  covered  with  creepers. 
A  slim,  girlish  figure  came  suddenly  out  from  the 
porch  and  danced  towards  him  with  outstretched 
hands. 

"  At  last !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  At  last !  Tell  me, 
my  co-guardian,  how  you  are  going  to  excuse  your- 
self? " 

He  took  her  outstretched  hands  and  looked  down 
into  her  face.  She  was  very  small  and  dark,  with 
lustrous  brown  eyes  and  a  very  sensitive  mouth,  which 
just  now  was  quivering  with  excitement. 

"  All  the  excuses  have  gone  out  of  my  head,  Fe- 


A  MIDNIGHT  CONFERENCE  191 

licia,"  he  declared.  "  You  look  such  a  little  elf  in 
the  moonlight  that  I  can't  do  more  than  say  that  I 
am  sorry.  But  I  have  been  busy." 

She  was  suddenly  serious.  She  clasped  his  arm 
with  both  her  hands  and  turned  towards  the  house. 

"  Of  course  you  have,"  she  sighed.  "  It  seems  too 
bad,  though,  in  Monte  Carlo.  Sidney  and  David  are 
like  ghouls.  I  don't  ask  what  it  is  all  about  —  I 
know  better  —  but  I  wish  it  were  all  over,  whatever 
it  is." 

"  Is  Sidney  back  ?  "  Hunterleys  asked  eagerly. 

She  nodded. 

"  He  came  in  half-an-hour  ago,  looking  like  a 
tramp.  David  is  writing  as  though  he  hadn't  a  mo- 
ment to  spare  in  life.  They  are  both  waiting  for 
you,  I  think." 

"  And  you  ?  "  he  enquired.  "  How  do  the  rehear- 
sals go  ?  " 

"  The  rehearsals  are  all  right,"  she  admitted,  look- 
ing up  at  him  almost  pathetically.  "  It's  the  night 
itself  that  seems  so  awful.  I  know  every  word,  I 
know  every  note,  and  yet  I  can't  feel  sure.  I  can't 
sleep  for  thinking  about  it.  Only  last  night  I  had 
a  nightmare.  I  saw  all  those  rows  and  rows  of  faces, 
and  the  lights,  and  my  voice  went,  my  tongue  was  dry 
and  hard,  not  a  word  would  come.  And  you  were 
there  —  and  the  others !  " 

Ke  laughed  at  her. 

"  Little  girl,"  he  said  solemnly,  "  I  shall  have  to 
speak  to  Sidney.  One  of  those  two  young  men  must 
take  you  out  for  a  day  in  the  country  to-morrow." 

"  They  seem  so  busy,"  she  complained.  "  They 
don't  seem  to  have  time  to  think  of  me.  I  suppose  ] 


iga        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

had  better  let  you  go  in.  They'd  be  furious  if  they 
thought  I  was  keeping  you." 

They  passed  into  the  villa,  and  with  a  farewell  pat 
of  the  hand  Hunterleys  left  her  and  opened  a  door 
on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  hall.  The  young  man 
who  had  met  him  coming  out  of  the  Opera  was  stand- 
ing with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  upon  the  hearth- 
rug of  an  exceedingly  untidy-looking  apartment. 
There  was  a  table  covered  with  papers,  another  piled 
with  newspapers.  There  were  books  upon  the  floor, 
pipes  and  tobacco  laid  about  haphazard.  A  space 
had  been  swept  clear  upon  the  larger  table  for  a  type- 
writer, a  telephone  instrument  stood  against  the  wall. 
A  man  whose  likeness  to  Felicia  was  at  once  ap- 
parent, swung  round  in  his  chair  as  Hunterleys  en- 
tered. He  had  taken  off  his  coat  and  waistcoat  and 
his  trousers  seemed  smothered  with  dust. 

"  Regular  newspaper  correspondent's  den,"  Hun- 
terleys remarked,  as  he  looked  around  him.  "  I  never 
saw  such  a  mess  in  my  life.  I  wonder  Felicia  al- 
lows it." 

"  We  don't  let  her  come  in,"  her  brother  chuckled- 
"  Is  the  door  closed  ?  " 

"  Fast,"  Hunterleys  replied,  moving  away  from  it. 

"  Things  are  moving,"  the  other  went  on.  "  1 
took  the  small  car  out  to-day  on  the  road  to  Cannes 
and  I  expect  I  was  the  first  to  see  Douaille." 

"  I  saw  him  myself,"  Hunterleys  announced.  "  I 
was  out  on  that  road,  walking." 

"  Douaille,"  Roche  continued,  "  went  direct  to  the 
Villa  Mimosa.  Grex  was  there,  waiting  for  him. 
Draconmeyer  and  Selingman  both  kept  out  of  the 
way." 


A  MIDNIGHT  CONFERENCE  193 

Hunterleys  nodded. 

"  Reasonable  enough,  that.  Grex  was  the  man 
to  pave  the  way.  Well?  " 

"  At  ten  o'clock,  Draconmeyer  and  Selingman  ar- 
rived. The  Villa  Mimosa  gets  more  difficult  every 
day.  I  have  only  one  friend  in  the  house,  although 
it  is  filled  with  servants.  Three-quarters  of  them 
only  speak  Russian.  My  man's  reliable  but  he  is 
in  a  terrible  minority.  The  conference  took  place 
in  the  library.  It  lasted  about  an  hour  and  a  half. 
Selingman  and  Draconmeyer  came  out  looking  fairly 
well  satisfied.  Half-an-hour  later  Douaille  went  on 
to  Mentone,  to  the  Hotel  Splendide,  where  his  wife 
and  daughters  are  staying.  No  writing  at  all  was 
done  in  the  room." 

"  The  conference  has  really  begun,  then,"  Hunter- 
leys  observed  moodily. 

"  Without  a  doubt,"  Roche  declared.  "  I  imag- 
ine, though,  that  the  meeting  this  evening  was  de- 
voted to  preliminaries.  I  am  hoping  next  time,"  he 
went  on,  "  to  be  able  to  pass  on  a  little  of  what  is 
said." 

"  If  we  could  only  get  the  barest  idea  as  to  the  na- 
ture of  the  proposals,"  Hunterleys  said  earnestly. 
"  Of  course,  one  can  surmise.  Our  people  are  al- 
ready warned  as  to  the  long  conferences  which  have 
taken  place  between  Grex  and  Selingman.  They 
mean  something  —  there's  no  doubt  about  that. 
And  then  this  invitation  to  Douaille,  and  his  coming 
here  so  furtively.  Everything  points  the  same  way, 
but  a  few  spoken  words  are  better  than  all  the  sur- 
mises in  the  world.  It  isn't  that  they  are  unreason- 
able at  home,  but  they  must  be  convinced." 


194        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  It's  the  devil's  own  risk,"  Roche  sighed,  "  but  I 
am  hard  at  it.  I  was  about  the  place  yesterday  as 
much  as  I  dared.  My  plans  are  all  ready  now  but 
things  looked  pretty  awkward  at  the  villa  to-night. 
If  they  are  going  to  have  the  grounds  patrolled  by 
servants  every  time  they  meet,  I'm  done.  I've  cut  a 
pane  of  glass  out  of  the  dome  over  the  library,  and 
I've  got  a  window-cleaning  apparatus  round  at  the 
back,  and  a  ladder.  The  passage  along  the  roof  is 
quite  easy  and  there's  a  good  deal  of  cover  amongst 
the  chimneys,  but  if  they  get  a  hint,  it  will  be  touch 
and  go." 

Hunterleys  nodded.  He  was  busy  now,  going 
through  the  long  sheets  of  writing  which  the  other 
young  man  had  silently  passed  across  to  him.  For 
half-an-hour  he  read,  making  pencil  notes  now  and 
then  in  the  margin.  When  at  last  he  had  finished, 
he  returned  them  and,  sitting  down  at  the  table,  drew 
a  packet  of  press  cable  sheets  towards  him  and  wrote 
for  some  time  steadily.  When  he  had  finished,  he 
read  through  the  result  of  his  labours  and  leaned 
back  thoughtfully  in  his  chair. 

"  You  will  send  this  off  from  Cannes  with  your 
own,  Briston  ?  "  he  asked. 

The  young  man  assented. 

"  The  car  will  be  here  at  three,"  he  announced. 
"  They'll  be  on  their  way  by  eight." 

"  Press  message,  mind,  to  the  Daily  Post.  If  the 
operator  wants  to  know  what  *  Number  1  '  means 
after  *  Daily  Post,'  you  can  tell  him  that  it  simply 
indicates  to  which  editorial  room  the  message  is  to 
be  delivered." 

"  That's  a  clever  idea,"  Roche  mused.     "  Code  dis- 


A  MIDNIGHT  CONFERENCE  195 

patches  to  Downing  Street  might  cause  a  little  com- 
ment." 

"  They  wouldn't  do  from  here,"  Hunterleys  de- 
clared. "  They  might  be  safe  enough  from  Cannes 
but  it's  better  to  run  no  risks.  These  will  be  passed 
on  to  Downing  Street,  unopened.  Be  careful  to- 
morrow, Sidney." 

"  I  can't  see  that  they  can  do  anything  but  throw 
me  out,  Sir  Henry,"  Roche  remarked.  "  I  have  my 
Daily  Post  authority  in  my  pocket,  and  my  passport. 
Besides,  I  got  the  man  here  to  announce  in  the  Monte 
Carlo  News  that  I  was  the  accredited  correspondent 
for  the  district,  and  that  David  Briston  had  been 
appointed  by  a  syndicate  of  illustrated  papers  to 
represent  them  out  here.  That's  in  case  we  get  a 
chance  of  taking  photographs.  I  had  some  idea  of 
going  out  to  interview  Monsieur  Douaille." 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head. 

"  I  shouldn't.  The  man's  as  nervous  as  he  can 
be  now,  I  am  pretty  sure  of  that.  Don't  do  anything 
that  might  put  him  on  his  guard.  Mind,  for  all  we 
know  he  may  be  an  honest  man.  To  listen  to  what 
these  fellows  have  to  say  doesn't  mean  that  he's  pre- 
pared to  fall  in  with  their  schemes.  By  the  by, 
you've  nothing  about  the  place,  I  suppose,  if  you 
should  be  raided  ?  " 

"  Not  a  thing,"  was  the  confident  reply.  "  We 
are  two  English  newspaper  correspondents,  and  there 
isn't  a  thing  to  be  found  anywhere  that's  not  in  keep- 
ing, except  my  rather  large  make-up  outfit  and  my 
somewhat  mixed  wardrobe.  I  am  not  the  only  news- 
paper correspondent  who  goes  in  for  that,  though. 
Then  there's  Felicia.  They  all  know  who  she  is  and 


I96        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

they  all  know  that  she's  my  sister.  Anyhow,  even 
if  I  do  get  into  trouble  up  at  the  Villa  Mimosa,  I 
can't  see  that  I  shall  be  looked  upon  as  anything 
more  than  a  prying  newspaper  correspondent.  They 
can't  hang  me  for  that." 

Hunterleys  accepted  a  cigarette  and  lit  it. 

"  I  needn't  tell  you  fellows,"  he  said  gravely,  "  that 
this  place  is  a  little  unlike  any  other  in  Europe. 
You  may  think  you're  safe  enough,  but  all  the  same 
I  wouldn't  trust  a  living  soul.  By-the-by,  I  saw  Fe- 
licia as  I  came  in.  You  don't  want  her  to  break 
down,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Good  heavens,  no ! "  her  brother  exclaimed. 

*' Break  down?"  David  repeated.  "Don't  sug- 
gest such  a  thing !  " 

"  It  struck  me  that  she  was  rather  nervy,"  Hun- 
terleys told  them.  "  One  of  you  ought  to  look  after 
her  for  an  hour  or  two  to-morrow." 

"  I  can't  spare  a  moment,"  her  brother  sighed. 

"  I'll  take  her  out,"  Briston  declared  eagerly. 
**  There's  nothing  for  me  to  do  to-morrow  till  Sid- 
ney gets  back." 

"  Well,  between  you,  keep  an  eye  on  her,"  Hunter- 
leys  advised.  "  And,  Sidney,  I  don't  want  to  make  a 
coward  of  you,  and  you  and  I  both  know  that  if 
there's  danger  ahead  it's  our  job  to  face  it,  but  have 
a  care  up  at  the  Villa  Mimosa.  I  don't  fancy  the 
law  of  this  Principality  would  see  you  out  of  any 
trouble  if  they  got  an  idea  that  you  were  an  English 
Secret  Service  man." 

Roche  laughed  shortly. 

"  Exactly  my  own  idea,"  he  admitted.  "  How- 
ever, we've  got  to  see  it  through.  I  sha'n't  consider 


A  MIDNIGHT  CONFERENCE          197 

I've  done  my  work  unless  I  hear  something  of  what 
Grex  and  the  others  have  to  say  to  Douaille  the  next 
time  they  meet." 

Hunterleys  found  Felicia  waiting  for  him  outside. 
He  shook  his  head  reproachfully. 

"  A  future  prima  donna,"  he  said,  "  should  go  to 
bed  at  ten  o'clock." 

She  opened  the  door  for  him  and  walked  down  the 
path,  her  hands  clasped  in  his  arm. 

"  A  future  prima  donna,"  she  retorted,  "  can't 
do  always  what  she  likes.  If  I  go  to  bed  too  early 
I  cannot  sleep.  To-night  I  am  excited  and  nervous. 
There  isn't  anything  likely  to  bring  trouble  upon  — 
them,  is  there?  " 

"  Certainly  not,"  he  replied  promptly.  "  Your 
brother  is  full  of  enterprise,  as  you  know.  He  runs 
a  certain  amount  of  risk  in  his  eagerness  to  acquire 
news,  but  I  never  knew  a  man  so  well  able  to  take  care 
of  himself." 

"  And  —  and  Mr.  Briston?  * 

"  Oh,  he's  all  right,  anyway,"  Hunterleys  assured 
her.  "  His  is  the  smaller  part." 

She  breathed  a  little  sigh  of  relief.  They  had 
reached  the  gate.  She  still  had  something  to  say. 
Below  them  flared  the  lights  of  Monte  Carlo.  She 
looked  down  at  them  almost  wistfully. 

"  Very  soon,"  she  murmured,  "  I  shall  know  my 
fate.  Sir  Henry,"  she  added  suddenly,  "  did  I  see 
Lady  Hunterleys  to-day  on  the  Terrace  ?  " 

"  Lady  Hunterleys  is  here,"  he  replied. 

"  Am  I  —  ought  I  to  go  and  see  her?  "  she  en- 
quired. "  You  see,  you  have  done  so  much  for  me, 
I  should  like  to  do  what  you  thought  best." 


I98        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Just  as  you  like,  child,"  he  replied,  a  little  care- 
lessly. 

She  clung  to  his  arm.  She  seemed  unwilling  to  let 
him  go. 

"  Dear  co-guardian,"  she  murmured,  "  to-night  I 
felt  for  a  little  time  so  happy,  as  though  all  the  good 
things  in  life  were  close  at  hand.  Then  I  watched 
you  come  up,  and  your  step  seemed  so  heavy,  and  you 
stooped  as  though  you  had  a  load  on  your  shoul- 
ders." 

He  patted  her  hand. 

"  Little  girl,"  he  advised,  "  run  away  in  and  take 
care  of  your  throat.  Remember  that  everything  de- 
pends upon  the  next  few  hours.  As  for  me,  perhaps 
I  am  getting  a  little  old." 

"  Oh,  la,  la!  "  she  laughed.  "  That's  what  Sidney 
says  when  I  tease  him.  I  know  I  am  only  the  mouse, 
but  I  could  gnaw  through  very  strong  cords. 
Look!" 

Her  teeth  gleamed  white  in  the  moonlight.  He 
swung  open  the  gate. 

"  Sing  your  way  into  the  hearts  of  all  these  strange 
people,"  he  bade  her,  smiling.  "  Sing  the  envy  and 
malice  away  from  them.  Sing  so  that  they  believe 
that  England,  after  all,  is  the  one  desirable  coun- 
try." 

"  But  I  am  going  to  sing  in  French,"  she  pouted. 

"  Your  name,"  he  reminded  her,  "  that  is  English. 
'  The  little  English  prima  donna,'  that  is  what  they 
will  be  calling  you." 

She  kissed  his  hands  suddenly  as  he  parted  from 
her  and  swung  off  down  the  hill.  Then  she  stood  at 
jthe  gate,  looking  down  at  the  glittering  lights. 


A  MIDNIGHT  CONFERENCE          199 

Would  they  shine  as  brightly  for  her,  she  wondered, 
in  twenty-four  hours'  time  ?  It  was  so  much  to  strive 
for,  so  much  to  lose,  so  wonderfully  much  to  gain. 
Slowly  her  eyes  travelled  upwards.  The  symbolism 
of  those  higher  lights  calmed  her  fear.  She  drew  a 
great  sigh  of  happiness. 

"Felicia!" 

She  turned  around  with  a  soft  little  laugh. 

"David!" 


CHAPTER  XIX 

*'  TAKE    ME    AWAY  !  " 

Richard  presented  himself  the  next  morning  at  the 
Hotel  de  Paris. 

"  Cheero !  "  he  exclaimed,  on  being  shown  into  Hun- 
terleys' sitting-room.  "  All  right  up  to  date,  I  see." 

Hunterleys  nodded.  He  had  just  come  in  from 
the  bank  and  held  his  letters  in  his  hand.  Richard 
seated  himself  on  the  edge  of  the  table. 

"  I  slept  out  on  the  yacht  last  night,"  he  said. 
"  Got  up  at  six  o'clock  and  had  a  swim.  What 
about  a  round  of  golf  at  La  Turbie?  We  can  get 
down  again  by  luncheon-time,  before  the  people  are 
about." 

"  Afraid  I  can't,"  Hunterleys  replied.  **  I  have 
rather  an  important  letter  to  go  through  carefully, 
and  a  reply  to  think  out." 

"  You're  a  queer  chap,  you  know,"  Richard  went 
on.  "  You  always  seem  to  have  something  on  but 
I'm  hanged  if  I  can  see  how  you  pass  your  time  here 
in  Monte  Carlo.  This  political  business,  even  if  you 
do  have  to  put  in  a  bit  of  time  at  it  now  and  then, 
can't  be  going  on  all  the  while.  Monte  Carlo,  too! 
So  far  as  the  women  are  concerned,  they  might  as 
well  be  off  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  I  don't  think  I've 
ever  seen  you  make  a  bet  at  the  tables.  How  did 


"TAKE  ME  AWAY!"  aoi 

your  wife  do  last  night?  I  thought  she  seemed  to  be 
dropping  it  rather." 

"  I  think  that  she  lost,"  Hunterleys  replied  indif- 
ferently. "  Her  gambling,  however,  is  like  mine,  I 
imagine,  on  a  fairly  negligible  scale." 

Richard  whistled  softly. 

"  Well,  I  don't  know,"  he  observed.  "  I  saw  her 
going  for  maximums  yesterday  pretty  steadily.  A 
few  thousands  doesn't  last  very  long  at  that  little 
game." 

Hunterleys  smiled. 

"  A  few  thousands  !  "  he  repeated.  "  I  don't  sup- 
pose Violet  has  ever  lost  or  won  a  hundred  pounds 
in  her  life." 

Richard  abandoned  the  subject  quickly.  He  was 
obliged  to  tell  himself  that  it  was  not  his  business  to 
interfere  between  husband  and  wife. 

"  Say,  Hunterleys,"  he  suggested,  "  do  you  think 
I  could  do  something  for  the  crowd  on  my  little  boat 
—  a  luncheon  party  or  a  cruise,  eh?  " 

"  I  should  think  every  one  would  enjoy  it  im- 
mensely," Hunterleys  answered. 

"  I  can  count  on  you,  of  course,  if  I  arrange  any- 
thing? " 

"  I  am  afraid  not,"  Hunterlej^s  regretted.  "  I  am 
too  much  engrossed  now  to  make  any  arrangements.'* 

"  I'm  hanged  if  you  don't  get  more  mysterious 
every  moment ! "  Richard  exclaimed  vigorously. 
"  What's  it  all  about  ?  Can't  you  even  be  safe  in 
your  room  for  five  minutes  without  keeping  one  of 
those  little  articles  under  your  newspaper  while  you 
read  your  letters  ?  "  he  added,  lifting  with  his  stick 
the  sheet  which  Hunterleys  had  hastily  thrown  over 


203        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

a  small  revolver.  "  What's  it  all  about,  eh?  Are 
you  plotting  to  dethrone  the  Prince  of  Monaco  and 
take  his  place?  " 

"  Not  exactly  that,"  Hunterleys  replied,  a  little 
wearily.  "  Lane,  old  fellow,  you're  much  better  off 
not  to  know  too  much.  I  have  told  you  that  there's 
a  kind  of  international  conference  going  on  about 
here  and  I've  sort  of  been  pitchforked  into  the  affair. 
Over  in  your  country  you  don't  know  much  about  this 
sort  of  thing,  but  since  I've  been  out  of  harness  I've 
done  a  good  deal  of  what  really  amounts  to  Secret 
Service  work.  One  must  serve  one's  country  some- 
how or  other,  you  know,  if  one  gets  the  chance." 

Richard  was  impressed. 

"Gee!"  he  exclaimed.  "The  sort  of  thing  that 
one  reads  about,  eh,  and  only  half  believes.  Who's 
the  French  Johnny  who  arrived  last  night?  " 

"  Douaille.  He's  the  coming  President,  they  say. 
I'm  thinking  of  paying  him  a  visit  of  ceremony  this 
afternoon." 

There  was  a  knock  at  the  door.  A  waiter  entered 
with  a  note  upon  a  salver. 

"  From  Madame,  monsieur,"  he  announced,  pre- 
senting it  to  Hunterleys. 

The  latter  tore  it  open  and  read  the  few  lines  has- 
tily: 

Dear  Henry, 

If  you  could  spare  a  few  minutes,  I  should  be  gla3 
if  you  would  come  round  to  my  apartment. 

Yours, 

VIOLET. 

Hunterleys  twisted  the  note  up  in  his  fingers. 


"  TAKE  ME  AWAY ! "  303 

"  Tell  Lady  Hunterleys  that  I  will  be  round  in  a 
few  moments,"  he  instructed  the  servant. 

Richard  took  up  his  stick  and  hat. 

"  If  you  have  an  opportunity,"  he  said,  "  ask  Lady 
Hunterleys  what  she  thinks  about  a  little  party  on 
the  yacht.  If  one  could  get  the  proper  people  to- 
gether — " 

"  I'll  tell  her,"  Hunterleys  promised.  "  You'd  bet- 
ter wait  till  I  get  back." 

He  made  his  way  to  the  other  wing  of  the  hotel. 
For  the  first  time  since  he  had  been  staying  there, 
he  knocked  at  the  door  of  his  wife's  apartments.  Her 
maid  admitted  him  with  a  smile.  He  found  Violet 
sitting  in  the  little  salon  before  a  writing-table.  The 
apartment  was  luxuriously  furnished  and  filled  with 
roses.  Somehow  or  other,  their  odour  irritated  him. 
She  rose  from  her  place  and  hastened  towards 
him. 

"  How  nice  of  you  to  come  so  promptly !  "  she  ex- 
claimed. "  You're  .  sure  it  didn't  inconvenience 
you?" 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  he  replied.  "  I  was  only  talk- 
ing to  Richard  Lane." 

"  You  seem  to  have  taken  a  great  fancy  to  that 
young  man  all  at  once,"  she  remarked. 

Hunterleys  was  sitting  upon  the  arm  of  an  easy- 
chair.  He  had  picked  up  one  of  Violet's  slippers 
and  was  balancing  it  in  his  hand. 

"  Oh,  I  don't  know.  He  is  rather  refreshing  after 
some  of  these  people.  He  still  has  enthusiasms,  and 
his  love  affair  is  quite  a  poem.  Aren't  you  up  rather 
early  this  morning?  " 

"  I  couldn't  sleep,"  she  sighed.     "  I  think  it  has 


204        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

come  to  me  in  the  night  that  I  am  sick  of  this  place. 
I  wondered  — " 

She  hesitated.  He  bent  the  slipper  slowly  back, 
waiting  for  her  to  proceed. 

"  The  Draconmeyers  don't  want  to  go,"  she  went 
on.  "  They  are  here  for  another  month,  at  least. 
Linda  would  miss  me  terribly,  I  suppose,  but  I  have 
really  given  her  a  lot  of  my  time.  I  have  spent  sev- 
eral hours  with  her  every  day  since  we  arrived,  and  I 
don't  know  what  it  is  —  perhaps  my  bad  luck,  for 
one  thing  —  but  I  have  suddenly  taken  a  dislike  to 
the  place.  I  wondered — " 

She  had  picked  up  one  of  the  roses  from  a  vase 
close  at  hand,  and  was  twirling  it  between  her  fingers. 
For  some  reason  or  other  she  seemed  ill  at  ease. 
Hunterleys  watched  her  silently.  She  was  very  pale, 
but  since  his  coming  a  slight  tinge  of  pink  colour 
had  stolen  into  her  cheeks.  She  had  received  him 
in  a  very  fascinating  garment  of  blue  silk,  which  was 
really  only  a  dressing-gown.  It  seemed  to  him  a 
long  time  since  he  had  seen  her  in  so  intimate  a  fash- 
ion. 

"  I  wondered,"  she  concluded  at  last,  almost  ab- 
ruptly, "  whether  you  would  care  to  take  me  away." 

He  was,  for  a  moment,  bereft  of  words.  Somehow 
or  other,  he  had  been  so  certain  that  she  had  sent  to 
him  to  ask  for  more  money,  that  he  had  never  even, 
considered  any  other  eventuality. 

"  Take  you  away,"  he  repeated.  "  Do  you  really 
mean  take  you  back  to  London,  Violet?  " 

"  Just  anywhere  you  like,"  she  replied.  "  I  am 
sick  of  this  place  and  of  everything.  I  am  weary  to 
death  of  trying  to  keep  Linda  cheerful  —  you  don't 


"TAKE  ME  AWAY!"  205 

realise  how  depressing  it  is  to  be  with  her;  and  — 
and  every  one  seems  to  have  got  a  little  on  my  nerves. 
Mr.  Draconmeyer,"  she  added,  a  little  defiantly,  rais- 
ing her  eyes  to  his,  "  has  been  most  kind  and  delight- 
ful, but  —  somehow  I  want  to  get  away." 

He  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  a  couch.  She  seated 
herself  at  the  further  end  of  it. 

"  Violet,"  he  said,  "  you  have  taken  me  rather  by 
surprise." 

"  Well,  you  don't  mind  being  taken  by  surprise 
once  in  a  while,  do  you  ?  "  she  asked,  a  little  petu- 
lantly. "  You  know  I  am  capricious  —  you  have 
told  me  so  often  enough.  Here  is  a  proof  of  it. 
Take  me  back  to  London  or  to  Paris,  or  wherever  you 
like." 

He  was  almost  overwhelmed.  It  was  unfortunate 
that  she  had  chosen  that  moment  to  look  away  and 
could  not  see,  therefore,  the  light  which  glowed  in  his 
eyes. 

**  Violet,"  he  assured  her  earnestly,  "  there  is  noth- 
ing in  the  world  I  should  like  so  much.  I  would  beg 
you  to  have  your  trunks  packed  this  morning,  but 
unfortunately  I  cannot  leave  Monte  Carlo  just  now." 

"  Cannot  leave  Monte  Carlo  ?  "  she  repeated  de- 
risively. "  Why,  my  dear  man,  you  are  a  fish  out  of 
water  here !  You  don't  gamble,  you  do  nothing  but 
moon  about  and  go  to  the  Opera  and  worry  about 
your  silly  politics.  What  on  earth  do  you  mean 
when  you  say  that  you  cannot  leave  Monte  Carlo?  " 

"  I  mean  just  what  I  say,"  he  replied.  "  I  cannot 
leave  Monte  Carlo  for  several  days,  at  any  rate." 

She  looked  at  him  blankly,  a  little  incredulously. 

"You  have  talked  like  this  before,  Henry,"  she 


ao6        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

said,  "  and  it  is  all  too  absurd.  You  must  tell  me 
the  truth  now.  You  can  have  no  business  here.  You 
are  travelling  for  pleasure.  You  can  surely  leave 
a  place  or  not  at  your  own  will?  " 

"  It  happens,"  he  sighed,  "  that  I  cannot.  Will 
you  please  be  very  kind,  Violet,  and  not  ask  me  too 
much  about  this?  If  there  is  anything  else  I  can 
do,"  he  went  on,  hesitatingly,  "  if  you  will  give  me 
a  little  more  of  your  time,  if  you  will  wait  with  me 
for  a  few  days  longer  • — " 

"  Can't  you  understand,"  she  interrupted  impa- 
tiently, "  that  it  is  just  this  very  moment,  this  in- 
stant, that  I  want  to  get  away?  Something  has 
gone  wrong.  I  want  to  leave  Monte  Carlo.  I  am 
not  sure  that  I  ever  want  to  see  it  again.  And  I 
want  you  to  take  me.  .  .  .  Please !  " 

She  held  out  her  hands,  swaying  a  little  towards 
him.  He  gripped  them  in  his.  She  yielded  to  their 
pressure  until  their  lips  almost  met. 

"  You'll  take  me  away  this  morning?  "  she  whis- 
pered. 

"  I  cannot  do  that,"  he  replied,  "  but,  Violet  — " 

She  snatched  herself  away  from  him.  An  ungov- 
ernable fit  of  fury  seemed  to  have  seized  her.  She 
stood  in  the  centre  of  the  room  and  stamped  her 
foot. 

"  You  cannot !  "  she  repeated.  "  And  you  will  not 
give  me  a  reason?  Very  well,  I  have  done  my  best, 
I  have  made  my  appeal.  I  will  stay  in  Monte  Carlo, 
then.  I  will  — " 

There  was  a  knock  at  the  door. 

"  Come  in,"  she  cried.     "  Who  is  it?  " 

The  door  was  softly  opened.     Draconmeyer  stood 


"TAKE  ME  AWAY!"  207 

upon  the  threshold.  He  looked  from  one  to  the  other 
in  some  surprise. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  he  murmured.  "  Please  excuse 
me." 

"  Come  in,  Mr.  Draconmeyer,"  she  called  out  to 
his  retreating  figure.  "  Come  in,  please.  How  is 
Linda  this  morning?  " 

Draconmeyer  smiled  a  little  ruefully  as  he  returned. 

"  Complaining,"  he  replied,  "  as  usual.  I  am 
afraid  that  she  has  had  rather  a  bad  night.  She  is 
going  to  try  and  sleep  for  an  hour  or  two.  I  came 
to  see  if  you  felt  disposed  for  a  motor  ride  this 
morning?  " 

"  I  should  love  it,"  she  assented.  *'  I  should  like 
to  start  as  soon  as  possible.  Henry  was  just  going, 
weren't  you  ?  "  she  added,  turning  to  her  husband. 

He  stood  his  ground. 

"  There  was  something  else  I  wished  to  say,"  he 
declared,  glancing  at  Draconmeyer. 

The  latter  moved  at  once  towards  the  door  but 
Violet  stopped  him. 

"  Not  now,"  she  begged.  "  If  there  is  really  any- 
thing else,  Henry,  you  can  send  up  a  note,  or  I  dare 
say  we  shall  meet  at  the  Club  to-night.  Now,  please, 
both  of  you  go  away.  I  must  change  my  clothes 
for  motoring.  In  half  an  hour,  Mr.  Draconmeyer." 

"  The  car  will  be  ready,"  he  answered. 

Hunterleys  hesitated.  He  looked  for  a  moment  at 
Violet.  She  returned  his  glance  of  appeal  with  a 
hard,  fixed  stare.  Then  she  turned  away. 

"  Susanne,"  she  called  to  her  maid,  who  was  in  the 
inner  room,  "  I  am  dressing  at  once.  I  will  show, 
you  what  to  put  out." 


ao8        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

She  disappeared,  closing  the  connecting  door  be- 
hind her.  The  two  men  walked  out  to  the  lift  in  si- 
lence. Draconmeyer  rang  the  bell. 

"  You  are  not  leaving  Monte  Carlo  at  present, 
then,  Sir  Henry  ?  "  he  remarked. 

"  Not  at  present,"  Hunterleys  replied  calmly. 

They  parted  without  further  speech.  Hunterleys 
returned  to  his  room,  where  Richard  was  still  wait- 
ing. 

"  Say,  have  you  got  a  valet  here  with  you  ?  "  the» 
young  man  enquired. 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head. 

"  Never  possessed  such  a  luxury  in  my  life,"  he  de- 
clared. 

"  Chap  came  in  here  directly  you  were  gone  — 
mumbled  something  about  doing  something  for  you. 
I  didn't  altogether  like  the  look  of  him,  so  I  sat  on 
the  table  and  watched.  He  hung  around  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then,  when  he  saw  that  I  was  sticking  it 
out,  he  went  off." 

"Was  he  wearing  the  hotel  livery?"  Hunterleys 
asked  quickly. 

"Plain  black  clothes,"  Richard  replied.  "He 
looked  the  valet,  right  enough." 

Hunterleys  rang  the  bell.  It  was  answered  by  a 
servant  in  grey  livery. 

"  Are  you  the  valet  on  this  floor?  "  Hunterleys  en- 
quired. 

"Yes,  sir!" 

"  There  was  a  man  in  here  just  now,  said  he  was 
my  valet  or  something  of  the  sort,  hung  around  for 
a  minute  or  two  and  then  went  away.  Who  was 
he?" 


"  TAKE  ME  AWAY !  "  209 

The  servant  shook  his  head.  He  was  apparently  a 
German,  and  stupid. 

"  There  are  no  valets  on  this  floor  except  my- 
self," he  declared. 

"  Then  who  could  this  person  have  been  ?  "  Hun- 
terleys  demanded. 

"  A  tailor,  perhaps,"  the  man  suggested,  "  but  he 
would  not  come  unless  you  had  ordered  him.  I  have 
been  on  duty  all  the  time.  I  have  seen  no  one  about." 

"  Very  well,"  Hunterleys  said,  "  I'll  report  the 
matter  in  the  office." 

"  Some  hotel  thief,  I  suppose,"  Lane  remarked, 
as  soon  as  the  door  was  closed.  "  He  didn't  look 
like  it  exactly,  though." 

Hunterleys  frowned. 

"  Not  much  here  to  satisfy  any  one's  curiosity," 
he  observed.  "  Just  as  well  you  were  in  the  room, 
though." 

"  Surrounded  by  mysteries,  aren't  you,  old  chap  ?  " 
Richard  yawned,  lighting  a  cigarette. 

"  I  don't  know  exactly  about  that,"  Hunterleys 
replied,  "  but  I'll  tell  you  one  thing,  Lane.  There 
are  things  going  on  in  Monte  Carlo  at  the  present 
moment  which  would  bring  out  the  black  headlines 
on  the  halfpenny  papers  if  they  had  an  inkling  of 
them.  There  are  people  here  who  are  trying  to  draw 
up  a  new  map  of  Europe,  a  new  map  of  the  world." 

Richard  shook  his  head. 

"  I  can't  get  interested  in  anything,  Hunterleys," 
he  declared.  "  You  could  tell  me  the  most  amazing 
things  in  the  world  and  they'd  pass  in  at  one  ear 
and  out  at  the  other.  Kind  of  a  blithering  idiot, 
eh?  You  know  what  I  did  last  night  after  dinner. 


aio       MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

If  you'll  believe  me,  when  I  got  to  the  villa,  I  found 
the  place  patrolled  as  though  they  were  afraid  of 
dynamiters.  I  skulked  round  to  the  back,  got  on 
the  beach,  and  climbed  a  little  way  up  towards  the 
rock  garden.  I  hid  there  and  waited  to  see  if  she'd 
come  out  on  the  terrace.  She  never  came,  but  I 
caught  a  glimpse  of  her  passing  from  one  room  to 
another,  and  I  tell  you  I'm  such  a  poor  sort  of  an 
idiot  that  I  felt  repaid  for  waiting  there  all  that 
time.  I  shall  go  there  again  to-night.  The  boys 
wanted  me  to  dine  —  Eddy  Lanchester  and  Montres- 
sor  and  that  lot  —  a  jolly  party,  too.  I  sha'n't  do 
it.  I  shall  have  a  mouthful  alone  somewhere  and 
spend  the  rest  of  the  evening  on  those  rocks.  Some- 
thing's got  to  come  of  this,  Hunterleys." 

"  Let's  go  into  the  lounge  for  a  few  moments," 
Hunterleys  suggested.  "  I  may  as  well  hear  all 
about  it." 

They  made  their  way  downstairs,  and  sat  there 
talking,  or  rather  Hunterleys  listened  while  Richard 
talked.  Then  Draconmeyer  strolled  across  the  hall 
and  waited  by  the  lift.  Presently  he  returned  with 
Violet  by  his  side,  followed  by  her  maid,  carrying 
rugs.  As  they  approached,  Hunterleys  rose  slowly 
to  his  feet.  Violet  was  looking  up  into  her  compan- 
ion's face,  talking  and  laughing.  She  either  did  not 
see  Hunterleys,  or  affected  not  to.  He  stood,  for  a 
moment,  irresolute.  Then,  as  she  passed,  she  glanced 
at  him  quite  blankly  and  waved  her  hand  to  Richard. 
The  two  disappeared.  Hunterleys  resumed  his  seat. 
He  had,  somehow  or  other,  the  depressing  feeling  of 
a  man  who  has  lost  a  great  opportunity. 

"  Lady  Hunterleys  looks  well  this  morning,"  Lane 


"  TAKE  ME  AWAY  I  H  211 

remarked,  absolutely  unconscious  of  anything  un- 
usual. 

Himterleys  watched  the  car  drive  off  before  he  an- 
swered. 

'*  She  looks  very  well,"  he  assented  gloomily. 


CHAPTER  XX 

WILY    ME.    DRACONMEYEB, 

They  had  skirted  the  wonderful  bay  and  climbed 
the  mountainous  hill  to  the  frontier  before  Violet 
spoke.  All  the  time  Draconmeyer  leaned  back  by  her 
side,  perfectly  content.  A  man  of  varied  subtleties, 
he  understood  and  fully  appreciated  the  intrinsic 
value  of  silence.  Whilst  the  Customs  officer,  how- 
ever, was  making  out  the  deposit  note  for  the  car, 
she  turned  to  him. 

"  Will  you  tell  me  something,  Mr.  Draconmeyer?  " 

«  Of  course!" 

"  It  is  about  my  husband,"  she  went  on.  "  Henry 
isn't  your  friend  —  you  dislike  one  another,  I  know. 
You  men  seem  to  have  a  sort  of  freemasonry  which 
compels  you  to  tell  falsehoods  about  one  another,  but 
in  this  case  I  am  going  to  remind  you  that  I  have 
the  greater  claim,  and  I  am  going  to  ask  you  for  the 
sober  truth.  Henry  has  once  or  twice,  during  the 
last  few  days,  hinted  to  me  that  his  presence  in 
Monte  Carlo  just  now  has  some  sort  of  political  sig- 
nificance. He  is  very  vague  about  it  all,  but  he  evi- 
dently wants  me  to  believe  that  he  is  staying  here 
against  his  own  inclinations.  Now  I  want  to  ask 
you  a  plain  question.  Is  it  likely  that  he  could  have 
any  business  whatever  to  transact  for  the  Govern- 


WILY  MR.  DRACONMEYER  213 

ment  in  Monte  Carlo?  What  I  mean  is,  could  there 
possibly  be  anything  to  keep  him  in  this  place  which 
for  political  reasons  he  couldn't  tell  me  about  ?  " 

"  I  can  answer  your  question  finally  so  far  as  re- 
gards any  Government  business,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer 
assured  her.  "  Your  husband's  Party  is  in  Opposi- 
tion. As  a  keen  politician,  he  would  not  be  likely  to 
interest  himself  in  the  work  of  his  rival." 

"  You  are  quite  sure,"  she  persisted,  "  you  are 
quite  sure  that  he  could  not  have  a  mission  of  any 
sort  ?  —  that  there  isn't  any  meeting  of  diplomatist? 
here  in  which  he  might  be  interested  ?  " 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  smiled  with  the  air  of  one  listen- 
ing to  a  child's  prattle. 

"  If  I  were  not  sure  that  you  are  in  earnest  — ! " 
he  began.  "  However,  I  will  just  answer  your  ques- 
tion. Nothing  of  the  sort  is  possible.  Besides, 
people  don't  come  to  Monte  Carlo  for  serious  affairs, 
you  know." 

Her  face  hardened  a  little. 

"  I  suppose,"  she  said,  "  that  you  are  quite  sure 
of  what  you  told  me  the  other  evening  about  this 
young  singer  —  Felicia  Roche  ?  " 

"  I  should  not  allude  to  a  matter  of  that  sort,"  he 
declared,  "  unless  I  had  satisfied  myself  as  to  the 
facts.  It  is  true  that  I  owe  nothing  to  your  hus- 
band and  everything  to  you,  or  I  should  have  prob- 
ably remained  silent.  As  it  is,  all  that  I  know  is  at 
your  service.  Felicia  Roche  is  to  make  her  debut 
at  the  Opera  House  to-night.  Your  husband  has 
been  seen  with  her  repeatedly.  He  was  at  her  villa 
at  one  o'clock  this  morning.  I  have  heard  it  said 
that  he  is  a  little  infatuated." 


214        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Thank  you,"  she  murmured,  "  that  is  quite 
enough." 

The  formalities  were  concluded  and  the  car  drove 
on.  They  paused  at  the  last  turn  to  gaze  downward 
at  the  wonderful  view  —  the  gorgeous  Bay  of  Men- 
tone,  a  thousand  feet  below,  with  its  wealth  of  mi- 
mosa-embosomed villas ;  Monte  Carlo  glittering  on 
the  seaboard;  the  sweep  of  Monaco,  red-roofed,  pic- 
turesque. And  behind,  the  mountains,  further  away 
still,  the  dim,  snow-capped  heights.  Violet  looked, 
as  she  was  bidden,  but  her  eyes  seemed  incapable  of 
appreciation.  When  the  car  moved  on,  she  leaned 
back  in  her  seat  and  dropped  her  veil.  She  was 
paler  even  than  when  they  had  started. 

"  I  am  going  to  talk  to  you  very  little,"  he  said 
gravely.  "  I  want  you  just  to  rest  and  breathe  this 
wonderful  air.  If  my  reply  to  your  question  trou- 
bles you,  I  am  sorry,  but  you  had  to  know  it  some 
day.  It  is  a  wrench,  of  course,  but  you  must  have 
guessed  it.  Your  husband  is  a  man  of  peculiar  tem- 
perament, but  no  man  could  have  refused  such  an 
offer  as  you  made  him,  unless  there  had  been  some 
special  reason  for  it  —  no  man  in  the  world." 

There  was  a  little  tremble  in  his  tone,  artistic  and 
not  overdone.  Somehow,  she  felt  that  his  admira- 
tion ministered  to  her  self-respect.  She  permitted 
his  hand  to  remain  upon  hers.  The  touch  of  her  fin- 
gers very  nearly  brought  the  torrent  from  his  lips. 
He  crushed  the  words  down,  however.  It  was  too 
great  a  risk.  Very  soon  things  would  be  different; 
he  could  afford  to  wait. 

They  drove  on  to  San  Remo  and  turned  into  the 
hoteL 


WILY  MR.  DRACONMEYER  215 

*'  You  are  better  away  from  Monte  Carlo  for  a 
few  hours,"  he  decided.  "  We  will  lunch  here  and 
drive  back  afterwards.  You  will  feel  greatly  re- 
freshed." 

She  accepted  his  suggestion  without  enthusiasm 
and  with  very  little  show  of  pleasure.  They  found 
a  table  on  the  terrace  in  a  retired  corner,  surrounded 
with  flowering  cactus  plants  and  drooping  mimosa, 
and  overhung  by  a  giant  oleander  tree.  He  talked 
to  her  easily  but  in  gossiping  fashion  only,  and  al- 
ways with  the  greatest  respect.  It  was  not  until  the 
arrival  of  their  coffee  that  he  ventured  to  become  at 
all  personal. 

"  Will  you  forgive  me  if  I  talk  without  reserve  for 
a  few  moments  ?  "  he  began,  leaning  a  little  towards 
her.  "  You  have  your  troubles,  I  know.  May  I  not 
remind  you  that  you  are  not  alone  in  your  sorrows? 
Linda,  as  you  know,  has  no  companionship  whatever 
to  offer.  She  does  nothing  but  indulge  in  fretful  re- 
grets over  her  broken  health.  When  I  remember, 
too,  how  lonely  your  days  are,  and  think  of  your 
husband  and  what  he  might  make  of  them,  then  I 
cannot  help  realising  with  absolute  vividness  the  su- 
preme irony  of  fate.  Here  am  I,  craving  for  noth- 
ing so  much  on  earth  as  the  sympathy,  the  affection 
of  —  shall  I  say  such  a  woman  as  you  ?  And  your 
husband,  who  might  have  the  best,  remains  utterly 
indifferent,  content  with  something  far  below  the  sec- 
ond best.  And  there  is  so  much  in  life,  too,"  he  went 
on,  regretfully.  "  I  cannot  tell  you  how  difficult  it 
is  for  me  to  sit  still  and  see  you  worried  about  such 
a  trifle  as  money.  Fancy  the  joy  of  giving  you 
money ! " 


ai6        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

She  awoke  a  little  from  her  lethargy.  She  looked 
at  him,  startled. 

"  You  haven't  told  me  yet,"  he  added,  "  how  the 
game  went  last  night?  " 

"  I  lost  every  penny  of  that  thousand  pounds,"  she 
declared.  "  That  is  why  I  sent  for  my  husband  this 
morning  and  asked  him  to  take  me  back  to  England. 
I  am  getting  afraid  of  the  place.  My  luck  seems  to 
have  gone  for  ever." 

He  laughed  softly. 

"  That  doesn't  sound  like  you,"  he  observed. 
"  Besides,  what  does  it  matter?  Write  me  out  some 
more  cheques  when  we  get  back.  Date  them  this 
year  or  next,  or  the  year  after  —  it  really  doesn't 
matter  a  bit.  My  fortune  is  at  your  disposal.  If  it 
amuses  you  to  lose  a  thousand  pounds  in  the  after- 
noon, and  twice  as  much  at  night,  pray  do." 

She  laughed  at  him.  There  was  a  certain  glamour 
about  his  words  which  appealed  to  her  fancy. 

"  Why,  you  talk  like  a  prince,"  she  murmured, 
"  and  yet  you  know  how  impossible  it  is." 

"  Is  it?  "  he  asked  quietly. 

She  rose  abruptly  from  her  place.  There  was 
something  wrong  —  she  felt  it  in  the  atmosphere  — 
something  that  was  almost  choking  her. 

"  Let  us  go  back,"  she  insisted. 

He  ordered  the  car  without  another  word  and  they 
started  off  homewards.  It  was  not  until  they  were 
nearing  Monte  Carlo  that  he  spoke  of  anything  save 
the  slightest  topics. 

"  You  must  have  a  little  more  money,"  he  told  her, 
in  a  matter-of-fact  tone.  "  That  is  a  necessity. 
There  is  no  need  to  worry  your  husband.  I  shall 


WILY  MR.  DRACONMEYER  217 

go  and  bring  you  a  thousand  pounds.     You  can  give 
me  the  cheques  later." 

She  sat  looking  steadfastly  ahead  of  her.  She 
seemed  to  see  her  numbers  spread  out  before  her,  to 
hear  the  click  of  the  ball,  the  croupier's  voice,  the 
thrill  of  victory. 

"  I  have  taken  more  money  from  you  than  I  meant 
to,  already,  Mr.  Draconmeyer,"  she  protested. 
*'  Does  Linda  know  how  much  you  have  lent  me  ?  " 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  What  is  the  use  of  telling  her?  She  does  not 
understand.  She  has  never  felt  the  gambling  fever, 
the  joy  of  it,  the  excitement.  She  would  not  be 
strong  enough.  You  and  I  understand.  I  have  felt 
it  in  the  money-markets  of  the  world,  where  one  plays 
with  millions,  where  a  mistake  might  mean  ruin. 
That  is  why  the  tables  seem  dull  for  me,  but  all  the 
same  it  comes  home  to  me." 

She  felt  the  fierce  stimulus  of  anxious  thought. 
She  knew  very  well  that  notwithstanding  his  quiet 
manner,  she  had  reason  to  fear  the  man  who  sat  by 
her  side.  She  feared  his  self-restraint,  she  feared 
the  light  which  sometimes  gleamed  in  his  eyes  when 
he  fancied  himself  unobserved.  He  gave  her  no  cause 
for  complaint.  All  the  time  his  behaviour  had  been 
irreproachable.  And  yet  she  felt,  somehow  or  other, 
like  a  bird  who  is  being  hunted  by  a  trapper,  a  trap- 
per who  knows  his  business,  who  goes  about  it  with 
quiet  confidence,  with  absolute  certainty.  There 
was  something  like  despair  in  her  heart. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  stay  here,"  she 
said,  "  and  I  can't  stay  here  without  playing.  I  will 
take  a  thousand  more,  if  you  will  lend  it  to  me." 


2i8        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  You  shall  have  it  directly  we  get  to  the  hotel," 
he  told  -her.  "  Don't  hurry  with  the  cheques,  and 
don't  date  them  too  soon.  Remember  that  you  must 
have  something  to  live  on  when  you  get  back." 

"  I  am  going  to  win,"  she  declared  confidently. 
"  I  am  going  to  win  enough  to  pay  you  back  every 
penny." 

"  I  won't  say  that  I  hope  not,"  he  observed,  "  for 
your  sake,  but  it  will  certainly  give  me  no  pleasure 
to  have  the  money  back  again.  You  are  such  a  won- 
derful person,"  he  added,  dropping  his  voice,  "  that 
I  rather  like  to  feel  that  I  can  be  a  little  useful  to 
you." 

They  had  neared  the  end  of  their  journey  and  Mr. 
Draconmeyer  touched  her  arm.  A  faint  smile  was 
playing  about  his  lips.  Certainly  the  fates  were  be- 
friending him!  He  said  nothing,  but  her  eyes  fol- 
lowed the  slight  motion  of  his  head.  Coming  down 
the  steps  from  Giro's  were  her  husband  and  Felicia 
Roche.  Violet  looked  at  them  for  a  moment.  Then 
she  turned  her  head  away. 

"  Most  inopportune,"  she  sighed,  with  a  little  at- 
tempt at  gaiety.  "  Shall  we  meet  later  at  the 
Club?" 

"  Assuredly,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer  replied.  "  I  will 
send  the  money  to  your  room." 

"  Thank  you  once  more,"  she  said,  "  and  thank 
you,  too,  for  my  drive.  I  have  enjoyed  it  very  much. 
I  am  very  glad  indeed  that  I  had  the  courage  to  make 
you  tell  me  the  truth." 

"  I  hope,"  he  whispered,  as  he  handed  her  out, 
"  that  you  will  never  lack  the  courage  to  ask  me  any- 
thing." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

ASSASSINATION ! 

Selingman,  a  large  cigar  between  his  lips  and  a 
happy  smile  upon  his  face,  stood  in  the  square  before 
the  Casino,  watching  the  pigeons.  He  had  just  en- 
joyed an  excellent  lunch,  he  was  exceedingly  pleased 
with  a  new  light  grey  suit  which  he  was  wearing,  and 
his  one  unsatisfied  desire  was  for  companionship. 
Draconmeyer  was  away  motoring  with  Lady  Hun- 
terleys,  Mr.  Grex  was  spending  the  early  part  of  the 
day  in  conclave  with  their  visitor  from  France,  and 
Mademoiselle  Nipon  had  gone  to  Nice  for  the  day. 
Selingman  had  been  left  to  his  own  devices  and  was 
beginning  to  find  time  hang  upon  his  hands.  Con- 
versation and  companionship  were  almost  as  great 
necessities  with  him  as  wine.  He  beamed  upon  the 
pigeons  and  looked  around  at  the  people  dotted  about 
in  chairs  outside  the  Cafe  de  Paris,  hoping  to  find  an 
acquaintance.  It  chanced,  however,  that  he  saw 
nothing  but  strangers.  Then  his  eyes  fell  upon  a 
man  who  was  seated  with  folded  arms  a  short  dis- 
tance away,  a  man  of  respectable  but  somewhat 
gloomy  appearance,  dressed  in  dark  clothes,  with 
pale  cheeks  and  cavernous  eyes.  Selingman  strolled 
towards  him. 

"  How    go   things,    friend   Allen? "   he   enquired, 
dropping  his  voice  a  little. 


220        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

The  man  glanced  uneasily  around.  There  was, 
however,  no  one  in  his  immediate  vicinity. 

"  Badly,"  he  admitted. 

*'  Still  no  success,  eh?  "  Selingman  asked,  drawing 
up  a  chair  and  seating  himself. 

"  The  man  is  secretive  by  nature,"  was  the  gloomy 
reply.  "  One  would  imagine  that  he  knew  he  was 
being  watched.  Everything  which  he  receives  in  the 
way  of  a  written  communication  is  at  once  torn  up. 
He  is  the  most  difficult  order  of  person  to  deal  with 
—  he  is  methodical.  He  has  only  the  hotel  valet  to 
look  after  his  things  but  everything  is  always  in  its 
place.  Yesterday  I  went  through  his  waste-paper 
basket.  I  took  home  the  contents  but  the  pieces 
were  no  larger  than  sixpences.  I  was  able  to  put  to- 
gether one  envelope  which  he  received  yesterday 
morning,  which  was  franked  '  On  His  Majesty's  Serv- 
ice,' and  the  post-mark  of  which  was  Downing 
Street." 

Selingman  shook  his  head  ponderously  and  then 
replied  seriously: 

"  You  must  do  better  than  that,  my  Sherlock 
Holmes  —  much  better." 

"  I  can't  make  bricks  without  straw,"  Allen  re- 
torted sullenly. 

"  There  is  always  straw  if  one  looks  in  the  right 
place,"  Selingman  insisted,  puffing  away  at  his  cigar. 
"  What  we  want  to  discover  is,  exactly  how  much 
does  Hunterleys  know  of  certain  operations  of  ours 
which  are  going  on  here?  He  is  on  the  watch  — 
that  I  am  sure  of.  There  is  one  known  agent  in  the 
place,  and  another  suspected  one,  and  I  am  pretty 
certain  that  they  are  both  working  at  his  instigation. 


ASSASSINATION!  221 

What  we  want  to  get  hold  of  is  one  of  his  letters  to 
London." 

"  I  have  been  in  and  out  of  his  rooms  at  all  hours," 
the  other  said.  "  I  have  gone  into  the  matter  thor- 
oughly, so  thoroughly  that  I  have  taken  a  situation 
with  a  firm  of  English  tailors  here,  and  I  am  sup- 
posed to  go  out  and  tout  for  orders.  That  gives  me 
a  free  entree  ta  the  hotel.  I  have  even  had  a  com- 
mission from  Sir  Henry  himself.  He  gave  me  a  coat 
to  get  some  buttons  sewn  on.  I  am  practically  free 
of  his  room  but  what's  the  good?  He  doesn't  even 
lead  the  Monte  Carlo  life.  He  doesn't  give  one  a 
chance  of  getting  at  him  through  a  third  person. 
No  notes  from  ladies,  no  flower  or  jewelry  bills,  not 
the  shadow  of  an  assignation.  The  only  photograph 
upon  his  table  is  a  photograph  of  Lady  Hunterleys." 

"  Better  not  tell  our  friend  Draconmeyer  that," 
Selingman  observed,  smiling  to  himself.  "  Well, 
well,  you  can  do  nothing  but  persevere,  Allen.  We 
are  not  niggardly  masters.  If  a  man  fails  through 
no  fault  of  his  own,  well,  we  don't  throw  him  into 
the  street.  Nothing  parsimonious  about  us.  No 
need  for  you  to  sit  about  with  a  face  as  long  as  a 
fiddle  because  you  can't  succeed  all  at  once.  We  are 
the  people  to  kick  at  it,  not  you.  Drink  a  little 
more  wine,  my  friend.  Give  yourself  a  liqueur  after 
luncheon.  Stick  a  cigar  in  your  mouth  and  go  and 
sit  in  the  sunshine.  Make  friends  with  some  of  the 
ladies.  Remember,  the  sun  will  still  shine  and  the 
music  play  in  fifty  years'  time,  but  not  for  you. 
Come  and  see  me  when  you  want  some  more  money." 

"  You  are  very  kind,  sir,"  the  man  replied.  "  I 
am  going  across  to  the  hotel  now.  Sir  Henry  has 


222        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

been  about  there  most  of  the  morning  but  he  has  just 
gone  in  to  Giro's  to  lunch,  so  I  shall  have  at  least 
half-an-hour." 

"  Good  luck  to  you !  "  Selingman  exclaimed  heart- 
ily. "  Who  knows  but  that  the  big  things  may 
come,  even  this  afternoon?  Cheer  up,  and  try  and 
make  yourself  believe  that  a  letter  may  be  lying  on 
the  table,  a  letter  he  forgot  to  post,  or  one  sent 
round  from  the  bank  since  he  left.  I  am  hopeful  for 
you  this  afternoon,  Allen.  I  believe  you  are  going 
to  do  well.  Come  up  and  see  me  afterwards,  if  you 
will.  I  am  going  to  my  hotel  to  lie  down  for  half-an- 
hour.  I  am  not  really  tired  but  I  have  no  friend 
here  to  talk  with  or  anything  to  do,  and  it  is  a  wise 
economy  of  the  human  frame.  To-night,  mademoi- 
selle will  have  returned.  Just  now  every  one  has  de- 
serted me.  I  will  rest  until  six  o'clock.  Au  revoir, 
friend  Allen !  Au  revoir !  " 

Selingman  climbed  the  hill  and  entered  the  hotel 
where  he  was  staying.  He  mounted  to  his  room,  took 
off  his  coat,  at  which  he  glanced  admiringly  for  a 
moment  and  then  hung  up  behind  the  door.  Finally 
he  pulled  down  the  blinds  and  lay  down  to  rest. 
Very  soon  he  was  asleep.  .  .  . 

The  drowsy  afternoon  wore  on.  Through  the 
open  windows  came  the  sound  of  carriages  driven 
along  the  dusty  way,  the  shouts  of  the  coachmen  to 
their  horses,  the  jingling  of  bells,  the  hooting  of 
motor  horns.  A  lime  tree,  whose  leaves  were  stirred 
by  the  languorous  breeze,  kept  tapping  against  the 
window.  From  a  further  distance  came  the  faint, 
muffled  voices  of  promenaders,  and  the  echo  of  the 
guns  from  the  Tir  du  Pigeons.  But  through  it  all, 


ASSASSINATION!  223 

Selingman,  lying  on  his  back  and  snoring  loudly, 
slept.  He  was  awakened  at  last  by  the  feeling  that 
some  one  had  entered  the  room.  He  sat  up  and 
blinked. 

"  Hullo !  "  he  exclaimed. 

A  man  in  the  weird  disguise  of  a  motor-cyclist  was 
standing  at  the  foot  of  the  bed.  Selingman  contin- 
ued to  blink.  He  was  not  wholly  awake  and  his  vis- 
itor's appearance  was  unpleasant. 

"  Who  the  devil  are  you  ?  "  he  enquired. 

The  visitor  took  off  his  disfiguring  spectacles. 

"  Jean  Coulois  —  behold !  "  was  the  soft  reply. 

Selingman  raised  himself  and  slid  off  the  bed.  It 
had  seemed  rather  like  a  dream.  He  was  wide-awake 
now,  however. 

"  What  do  you  want?  "  he  asked.  "  What  are  you 
here  for?  " 

Jean  Coulois  said  nothing.  Then  very  slowly 
from  the  inside  pocket  of  his  coat  he  drew  a  news- 
paper parcel.  It  was  long  and  narrow,  and  in 
places  there  was  a  stain  upon  the  paper.  Seling- 
man stared  at  it  and  stared  back  at  Jean  Coulois. 

"  What  the  mischief  have  you  got  there  ? "  he 
demanded. 

Coulois  touched  the  parcel  with  his  yellow  fore- 
finger. Selingman  saw  then  that  the  stains  were  of 
blood. 

"  Give  me  a  towel,"  his  visitor  directed.  "  I  do 
not  want  this  upon  my  clothes." 

Selingman  took  a  towel  from  the  stand  and  threw 
it  across  the  room. 

"  You  mean,"  he  asked,  dropping  his  voice  a  little, 
"that  it  is  finished?" 


«24        MR.  GREX  OT  MONTE  CARLO 

"A  quarter  of  an  hour  ago,"  Jean  Coulois  an- 
swered triumphantly.  "  He  had  just  come  in  from 
luncheon  and  was  sitting  at  his  writing-table.  It 
was  cleverly  done  —  wonderfully.  It  was  all  over  in 
a  moment  —  not  a  cry.  You  came  to  the  right 
place,  indeed!  And  now  I  go  to  the  country,"  Cou- 
lois continued.  "  I  have  a  motor-bicycle  outside. 
I  make  my  way  up  into  the  hills  to  bury  this  little 
memento.  There  is  a  farmhouse  up  in  the  moun- 
tains, a  lonely  spot  enough,  and  a  girl  there  who 
says  what  I  tell  her.  It  may  be  as  well  to  be  able  to 
say  that  I  have  been  there  for  dejeuner.  These  little 
things,  monsieur  —  ah,  well !  we  who  understand 
think  of  them.  And  since  I  am  here,"  he  added, 
holding  out  his  hand  — 

Selingman  nodded  and  took  out  his  pocket-book. 
He  counted  out  the  notes  in  silence  and  passed  them 
over.  The  assassin  dropped  them  into  his  pocket. 

"  Au  revoir,  Monsieur  le  Gros ! "  he  exclaimed, 
waving  his  hand.  "  We  meet  to-night,  I  trust.  I 
will  show  you  a  new  dance  —  the  Dance  of  Death,  I 
shall  call  it.  I  seem  calm,  but  I  am  on  fire  with  ex- 
citement. To-night  I  shall  dance  as  though  quick- 
silver were  in  my  feet.  You  must  not  miss  it.  You 
must  come,  monsieur." 

He  closed  the  door  behind  him  and  swaggered  off 
down  the  passage.  Selingman  stood,  for  a  moment, 
perfectly  still.  It  was  a  strange  thing,  but  two  big 
tears  were  in  his  eyes.  Then  he  heaved  a  great  sigh 
and  shook  his  head. 

"  It  is  part  of  the  game,"  he  said  softly  to  himself, 
"  all  part  of  the  game." 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE    WRONG    MAN 

Selingman  came  out  into  the  sunlit  streets  very 
much  as  a  man  who  leaves  a  dark  and  shrouded  room. 
The  shock  of  tragedy  was  still  upon  him.  There 
was  a  little  choke  in  his  throat  as  he  mingled  with 
the  careless,  pleasure-loving  throng,  mostly  wending 
their  way  now  towards  the  Rooms  or  the  Terrace. 
As  he  crossed  the  square  towards  the  Hotel  de  Paris, 
his  steps  grew  slower  and  slower.  He  looked  at  the 
building  half-fearfully.  Beautifully  dressed  women, 
men  of  every  nationality,  were  passing  in  and  out  all 
the  time.  The  commissionaire,  with  his  little  group 
of  satellites,  stood  sunning  himself  on  the  lowest  step, 
a  splendid,  complacent  figure.  There  was  no  sign 
there  of  the  horror  that  was  hidden  within.  Even 
while  he  looked  up  at  the  windows  he  felt  a  hand  upon 
his  arm.  Draconmeyer  had  caught  him  up  and  had 
fallen  into  step  with  him. 

"  Well,  dear  philosopher,"  he  exclaimed,  "  why 
this  subdued  aspect?  Has  your  solitary  day  de- 
pressed you  ?  " 

Selingman  turned  slowly  around.  Draconmeyer's 
eyes  beneath  his  gold-rimmed  spectacles  were  bright. 
He  was  carrying  himself  with  less  than  his  usual 
stoop,  he  wore  a  red  carnation  in  his  buttonhole. 


226        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

He  was  in  spirits  which  for  him  were  almost  boister- 
ous. 

"  Have  you  been  in  there  ?  "  Selingman  asked,  in  a 
low  tone. 

Draconmeyer  glanced  at  the  hotel  and  back  again 
at  his  companion. 

"In  where?"  he  demanded.  "In  the  hotel?  I 
left  Lady  Hunterleys  there  a  short  time  ago.  I  have 
been  'ip  to  the  bank  since." 

"  You  don't  know  yet,  then?  " 

"Know  what?"    " 

There  was  a  momentary  silence.  Draconmeyer 
suddenly  gripped  his  companion  by  the  arm. 

"  Go  on,"  he  insisted.     "  TeU  me?  " 

"  It's  all  over ! "  Selingman  exclaimed  hoarsely. 
"  Jean  Coulois  came  to  me  a  quarter  of  an  hour  ago. 
It  is  finished.  Damnation,  Draconmeyer,  let  go  my 
arm ! " 

Draconmeyer  withdrew  his  fingers.  There  was  no 
longer  any  stoop  about  him  at  all.  He  stood  tall 
and  straight,  his  lips  parted,  his  face  turned  up- 
wards, upwards  as  though  he  would  gaze  over  the 
roof  of  the  hotel  before  which  they  were  standing, 
up  to  the  skies. 

"My  God,  Selingman!"  he  cried.     "My  God!" 

The  seconds  passed.  Then  Draconmeyer  sud- 
denly took  his  companion  by  the  arm. 

'*  Come,"  he  said,  "  let  us  take  that  first  seat  in  the 
gardens  there.  Let  us  talk.  Somehow  or  other,  al- 
though I  half  counted  upon  this,  I  scarcely  believed. 
...  Let  us  sit  down.  Do  you  think  it  is  known 
yet?" 

"  Very  likely  not,"  Selingman  answered,  as  they 


THE  WRONG  MAN  227 

crossed  th*  road  and  entered  the  gardens.  "  Cou- 
lois  found  him  in  his  rooms,  seated  at  the  writing- 
table.  It  was  all  over,  he  declares,  in  ten  seconds. 
He  came  to  me  —  with  the  knife.  He  was  on  his 
way  to  the  mountains  to  hide  it." 

They  found  a  seat  under  a  drooping  lime  tree. 
They  could  still  see  the  hotel  and  the  level  stretch 
of  road  that  led  past  the  post-office  and  the  Club  to 
Monaco.  Draconmeyer  sat  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  hotel,  through  which  streams  of  people  were  still 
passing.  One  of  the  under-managers  was  welcoming 
the  newcomers  from  a  recently  arrived  train. 

"  You  are  right,"  he  murmured.  "  Nothing  is 
known  yet.  Very  likely  they  will  not  know  until  the 
valet  goes  to  lay  out  his  clothes  for  dinner.  .  .  . 
Dead!" 

Selingman,  with  one  hand  gripping  the  iron  arm 
of  the  seat,  watched  his  companion's  face  with  a  sort 
of  fascinated  curiosity.  There  were  beads  of  per- 
spiration upon  Draconmeyer's  forehead,  but  his  ex- 
pression, in  its  way,  was  curious.  There  was  no  hor- 
ror in  his  face,  no  fear,  no  shadow  of  remorse.  Some 
wholly  different  sentiment  seemed  to  have  trans- 
formed the  man.  He  was  younger,  more  virile.  He 
seemed  as  though  he  could  scarcely  sit  still. 

"  My  friend,"  Selingman  said,  "  I  know  that  you 
are  one  of  our  children,  that  you  are  one  of  those 
who  have  seen  the  truth  and  worked  steadfastly  for 
the  great  cause  with  the  heart  of  a  patriot  and  the 
unswerving  fidelity  of  a  strong  man.  But  tell  me 
the  honest  truth.  There  is  something  else  in  your 
life  — -  you  have  some  other  feeling  about  this  man 
Hunterleys'  death?" 


228        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Draconmeyer  removed  his  eyes  from  the  front  of 
the  hotel  and  turned  slowly  towards  his  companion. 
There  was  a  transfiguring  smile  upon  his  lips. 
Again  he  gave  Selingman  the  impression  of  complete 
rejuvenation,  of  an  elderly  man  suddenly  trans- 
formed into  something  young  and  vigorous. 

"  There  is  something  else,  Selingman,"  he  con- 
fessed. "  This  is  the  moment  when  I  dare  speak  of 
it.  J  will  tell  you  first  of  any  living  person.  There 
is  a  woman  over  there  whom  I  have  set  up  as  an  idol, 
and  before  whose  shrine  I  have  worshipped.  There 
is  a  woman  over  there  who  has  turned  the  dull  paths 
of  my  life  into  a  flowery  way.  I  am  a  patriot,  and  I 
have  worked  for  my  country,  Selingman,  as  you  have 
worked.  But  I  have  worked,  also,  that  I  might 
taste  for  once  before  I  die  the  great  passion.  Don't 
stare  at  me,  man!  Remember  I  am  not  like  you. 
You  can  laugh  your  way  through  the  world,  with  a 
kiss  here  and  a  bow  there,  a  ribbon  to  your  lips  at 
night,  thrown  to  the  winds  in  the  morning.  I 
haven't  that  sort  of  philosophy.  Love  doesn't  come 
to  me  like  that.  It's  set  in  my  heart  amongst  the 
great  things.  It's  set  there  side  by  side  with  the 
greatest  of  all." 

"  His  wife !  "  Selingman  muttered. 

"  Are  you  so  colossal  a  fool  as  only  to  have  guessed 
it  at  this  moment?  "  Draconmeyer  continued  con- 
temptuously. "  If  he  hadn't  blundered  across  our 
path  here,  if  he  hadn't  been  my  political  enemy,  I 
should  still  some  day  have  taken  him  by  the  throat 
and  killed  him.  You  don't  know  what  risks  I  have 
been  running,"  he  went  on,  with  a  sudden  hoarseness. 
"  In  her  heart  she  half  loves  him  still.  If  he  hadn't 


THE  WRONG  MAN  229 

been  a  fool,  a  prejudiced,  over-conscientious,  stiff- 
necked  fool,  I  should  have  lost  her  within  the  last 
twenty-four  hours.  I  have  had  to  fight  and  scheme 
as  I  have  never  fought  and  schemed  before,  to  keep 
them  apart.  I  have  had  to  pick  my  way  through 
shoals  innumerable,  hold  myself  down  when  I  have 
been  burning  to  grip  her  by  the  wrists  and  tell 
her  that  all  that  a  man  could  offer  a  woman  was 
hers.  Selingman,  this  sounds  like  nonsense,  I  sup- 
pose." 

"  No,"  Selingman  murmured,  "  not  nonsense,  but 
it  doesn't  sound  like  Draconmeyer." 

"  Well,  it's  finished,"  Draconmeyer  declared,  with 
a  great  sigh  of  content.  "  You  know  now.  I  enter 
upon  the  final  stage.  I  had  only  one  fear.  Jean 
Coulois  has  settled  that  for  me.  I  wonder  whether 
they  know.  It  seems  peaceful  enough.  No!  Look 
over  there,"  he  added,  gripping  his  companion's  arm. 
"  Peter,  the  concierge,  is  whispering  with  the  others. 
That  is  one  of  the  managers  there,  out  on  the  pave- 
ment, talking  to  them." 

Selingman  pointed  down  the  road  towards  Mo- 
naco. 

"  See ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  There  is  a  motor-car 
coming  in  a  hurry.  I  fancy  that  the  alarm  must 
have  been  given." 

A  grey,  heavily-built  car  came  along  at  a  great 
pace  and  swung  round  in  front  of  the  Hotel  de  Paris. 
The  two  men  stood  on  the  pavement  and  watched. 
A  tall,  official-looking  person,  with  black,  upturned 
moustache,  in  somber  uniform  and  a  peaked  cap,  de- 
scended. 

"  The  Commissioner  of  Police,"  Selingman  whis- 


23o        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

pered,  "  and  that  is  a  doctor  who  has  just  gone  in. 
He  has  been  found !  " 

They  crossed  the  road  to  the  hotel.  The  con- 
cierge removed  his  hat  as  they  turned  to  enter.  To 
all  appearances  he  was  unchanged  —  fat,  florid, 
splendid.  Draconmeyer  stepped  close  to  him. 

"  Has  anything  happened  here,  Peter?  "  he  asked. 
*'  I  saw  the  Commissioner  of  Police  arrive  in  a  great 
hurry." 

The  man  hesitated.  It  was  obvious  then  that  he 
'was  disturbed.  He  looked  to  the  right  and  to  the 
left.  Finally,  with  a  sigh  of  resignation,  he  seemed 
to  make  up  his  mind  to  tell  the  truth. 

"  It  is  the  English  gentleman,  Sir  Henry  Hunter- 
leys,"  he  whispered.  "  He  has  been  found  stabbed  to 
death  in  his  room." 

"Dead?"  Draconmeyer  demanded,  insistently. 

"  Stone  dead,  sir,"  the  concierge  replied.  "  He 
was  stabbed  by  some  one  who  stole  in  through  the 
bathroom  —  they  say  that  he  couldn't  ever  have 
moved  again.  The  Commissioner  of  Police  is  up- 
stairs. The  ambulance  is  round  at  the  back  to  take 
him  off  to  the  Mortuary." 

Selingman  suddenly  seized  the  man  by  the  arm. 
His  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  topmost  step.  Violet 
stood  there,  smiling  down  upon  them.  She  was  wear- 
ing a  black  and  white  gown,  and  a  black  hat  with 
white  ospreys.  It  was  the  hour  of  five  o'clock  tea 
and  many  people  were  passing  in  and  out.  She 
came  gracefully  down  the  steps.  The  two  men  re- 
mained speechless. 

"  I  have  been  waiting  for  you,  Mr.  Draconmeyer," 
she  remarked,  smiling. 


THE  WRONG  MAN  231 

Draconmeyer  remembered  suddenly  the  packet  of 
notes  which  he  had  been  to  fetch  from  the  bank.  He 
tried  to  speak  but  only  faltered.  Selingman  had  re- 
moved his  hat  but  he,  too,  seemed  incapable  of  co- 
herent speech.  She  looked  at  them  both,  aston- 
ished. 

"  Whatever  is  the  matter  with  you  both  ?  "  she  ex- 
claimed. "  Who  is  coming  with  me  to  the  Club  ?  I 
decided  to  come  this  way  round  to  see  if  I  could 
change  my  luck.  That  underground  passage  de- 
presses me." 

Draconmeyer  moved  up  a  couple  of  steps.  He 
was  quite  himself  now,  grave  but  solicitous. 

"  Lady  Hunterleys,"  he  said,  "  I  am  sorry,  but 
there  has  been  a  little  accident.  I  am  afraid  that 
your  husband  has  been  hurt.  If  you  will  come  back 
to  your  room  for  a  minute  I  will  tell  you  about 
it." 

All  the  colour  died  slowly  from  her  face.  She 
swayed  a  little,  but  when  Draconmeyer  would  have 
supported  her  she  pushed  him  away. 

"  An  accident  ?  "  she  muttered.  "  I  must  go  and 
see  for  myself." 

She  turned  and  re-entered  the  hotel  swiftly.  Dra- 
conmeyer caught  her  up  in  the  hall. 

"  Lady  Hunterleys,"  he  begged  earnestly,  "  please 
take  my  advice.  I  am  your  friend,  you  know.  I 
want  you  to  go  straight  to  your  room.  I  will  come 
with  you.  I  will  explain  to  you  then  — " 

"  I  am  going  to  Henry,"  she  interrupted,  without 
even  a  glance  towards  him.  "  I  am  going  to  my  hus- 
band at  once.  I  must  see  what  has  happened." 

She  rang  the  bell  for  the  lift,  which  appeared  al- 


232        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

most   immediately.     Draconmeyer   stepped   in   with 
her. 

"  Lady  Hunterleys,"  he  persisted,  "  I  beg  of  you 
to  do  as  I  ask.  Let  me  take  you  to  your  rooms.  I 
will  tell  you  all  that  has  happened.  Your  husband 
will  not  be  able  to  see  you  or  speak  with  you." 

"  I  shall  not  get  out,"  she  declared,  when  the  lift 
boy,  in  obedience  to  Draconmeyer's  imperative  order, 
stopped  at  her  floor.  "  If  I  may  not  go  on  in  the 
lift,  I  shall  walk  up  the  stairs.  I  am  going  to  my 
husband." 

"  He  will  not  recognise  you,"  Draconmeyer  warned 
her.  "  I  am  very  sorry  indeed,  Lady  Hunterleys  — 
I  would  spare  you  this  shock  if  I  could  —  but  you 
must  be  prepared  for  very  serious  things." 

They  had  reached  the  next  floor  now.  The  boy 
opened  the  gate  of  the  lift  and  she  stepped  out.  She 
looked  pitifully  at  Draconmeyer. 

"  You  aren't  going  to  tell  me  that  he  is  dead?  "  she 
moaned. 

"  I  am  afraid  he  is,"  Draconmeyer  assented. 

She  staggered  across  the  landing,  pushing  him 
away  from  her.  There  were  four  or  five  people 
standing  outside  the  door  of  Hunterleys'  apartment. 
She  appealed  to  them. 

"  Let  me  go  in  at  once,"  she  ordered.  "  I  am 
Lady  Hunterleys." 

"  The  door  is  locked,"  one  of  the  men  declared. 

"  Let  me  go  in,"  she  insisted. 

She  pushed  them  on  one  side  and  hammered  at  the 
door.  They  could  hear  voices  inside.  In  a  moment 
it  was  opened.  It  was  the  Commissioner  of  the  Po- 
lice who  stood  there  —  tall,  severe,  official. 


THE  WRONG  MAN  233 

*'  Madame?  "  he  exclaimed. 

"  I  am  his  wife !  "  she  cried.  "  Let  me  in  —  let  me 
in  at  once ! " 

She  forced  her  way  into  the  room.  Something 
was  lying  on  the  bed,  covered  with  a  sheet.  She 
looked  at  it  and  shrieked. 

"  Madame,"  the  Commissioner  begged,  "  pray  com- 
pose yourself.  A  tragedy  has  happened  in  this  room 
—  but  we  are  not  sure.  Can  you  be  brave,  ma- 
dame?" 

"  I  can,"  she  answered.  "  Of  what  are  you  not 
sure?  " 

The  Commissioner  turned  down  the  sheet  a  few 
inches.  A  man's  face  was  visible,  a  ghastly  sight. 
She  looked  at  it  and  shrieked  hysterically. 

"  Is  that  your  husband,  madame  ?  "  the  Commis- 
sioner asked  quickly. 

"  Thank  God,  no ! "  she  cried.  "  You  are  sure 
this  is  the  man  ?  "  she  went  on,  her  voice  shaking  with 
fierce  excitement.  "  There  is  no  one  else  —  hurt  ? 
No  one  else  stabbed?  This  is  the  man  they  told  me 
was  my  husband  ?  " 

"  He  was  found  there,  sitting  at  your  husband's 
table,  madame,"  the  Commissioner  of  Police  assured 
her.  "  There  is  no  one  else." 

She  suddenly  began  to  cry. 

"  It  isn't  Henry ! "  she  sobbed,  groping  her  way 
from  the  room.  "  Take  me  downstairs,  please,  some 
one." 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

TROUBLE    BREWING 

The  maitre  d'hotel  had  presented  his  bill.  The 
little  luncheon  party  was  almost  over. 

"  So  I  take  leave,"  Hunterleys  remarked,  as  he  sat 
down  his  empty  liqueur  glass,  "  of  one  of  my  re- 
sponsibilities in  life." 

"  I  think  I'd  like  to  remain  a  sort  of  half  ward, 
please,"  Felicia  objected,  "  in  case  David  doesn't 
treat  me  properly." 

"  If  he  doesn't,"  Hunterleys  declared,  "  he  will 
have  me  to  answer  to.  Seriously,  I  think  you  young 
people  are  very  wise  and  very  foolish  and  very  much 
to  be  envied.  What  does  Sidney  say  about  it?  " 

Felicia  made  a  little  grimace.  She  glanced  around 
but  the  tables  near  them  were  unoccupied. 

"  Sidney  is  much  too  engrossed  in  his  mysterious 
work  to  concern  himself  very  much  about  anything," 
she  replied.  "  Do  you  know  that  he  has  been  out  all 
night  two  nights  this  week  already,  and  he  is  making 
no  end  of  preparations  for  to-day?  " 

Hunterleys  nodded. 

"  I  know  that  he  is  very  busy  just  now,"  he  as- 
sented gravely.  **  I  must  come  up  and  talk  to  him 
this  afternoon." 

"  We  left  him  writing,"  Felicia  said.  "  Of  course, 
he  declares  that  it  is  for  his  beloved  newspaper,  but  I 


TROUBLE  BREWING  235 

am  not  sure.  He  scarcely  ever  goes  out  in  the  day- 
time. What  can  he  have  to  write  about?  David's 
work  is  strenuous  enough,  and  I  have  told  him  that  if 
he  turns  war  correspondent  again,  I  shall  break  it 
off." 

"  We  all  have  our  work  to  do  in  life,"  Hunterleys 
reminded  her.  "  You  have  to  sing  in  Aida  to-night, 
and  you  have  to  do  yourself  justice  for  the  sake  of  a 
great  many  people.  Your  brother  has  his  work  to 
do,  also.  Whatever  the  nature  of  it  may  be,  he  has 
taken  it  up  and  he  must  go  through  with  it.  It 
would  be  of  no  use  his  worrying  for  fear  that  you 
should  forget  your  words  or  your  notes  to-night, 
and  there  is  no  purpose  in  your  fretting  because 
there  may  be  danger  in  what  he  has  to  do.  I  prom- 
ise you  that  so  far  as  I  can  prevent  it,  he  shall  take 
no  unnecessary  risks.  Now,  if  you  like,  I  will  walk 
home  with  you  young  people,  if  I  sha'n't  be  terribly 
in  the  way.  I  know  that  Sidney  wants  to  see  me." 

They  left  the  restaurant,  a  few  minutes  later,  and 
strolled  up  towards  the  town.  Hunterleys  paused 
outside  a  jeweler's  shop. 

"  And  now  for  the  important  business  of  the 
day ! "  he  declared.  "  I  must  buy  you  an  engage- 
ment present,  on  behalf  of  myself  and  all  your 
guardians.  Come  in  and  help  me  choose,  both  of 
you.  A  girl  who  carries  her  gloves  in  her  hand  to 
show  her  engagement  ring,  should  have  a  better  bag 
to  hang  from  that  little  finger." 

'*  You  really  are  the  most  perfect  person  that  ever 
breathed !  "  she  sighed.  "  You  know  I  don't  deserve 
anything  of  the  sort." 

They  paid  their  visit  to  the  jeweler  and  afterwards 


236        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

drove  up  to  the  villa  in  a  little  victoria.  Sidney 
Roche  was  hard  at  work  in  his  shirt-sleeves.  He 
greeted  Hunterleys  warmly. 

"  Glad  you've  come  up !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  The 
little  girl's  told  you  the  news,  I  suppose?  " 

"  Rather !  "  Hunterleys  replied.  "  I  have  been 
lunching  with  them  on  the  strength  of  it." 

"  And  look !  "  Felicia  cried,  holding  out  the  gold 
bag  which  hung  from  her  finger.  "  Look  how  I  am 
being  spoiled." 

Her  brother  sighed. 

"  Awful  nuisance  for  me,"  he  grumbled,  "  having 
to  live  with  an  engaged  couple.  .You  couldn't  clear 
out  for  a  little  time,"  he  suggested,  "  both  of  you  ? 
I  want  to  talk  to  Hunterleys." 

"  We'll  go  and  sit  in  the  garden,"  Felicia  assented. 
"  I  suppose  I  ought  to  rest.  David  shall  read  my 
score  to  me." 

They  passed  out  and  Roche  closed  the  door  behind 
them  carefully. 

"  Anything  fresh?  "  Hunterleys  asked. 

"  Nothing  particular,"  was  the  somewhat  guarded 
reply.  "  That  fellow  Frenhofer  has  been  up  here." 

"  Frenhofer? "  Hunterleys  repeated,  interroga- 
tively. 

"  He  is  the  only  man  I  can  rely  upon  at  the  Villa 
Mimosa,"  Roche  explained.  "  I  am  afraid  to-night 
it's  going  to  be  rather  a  difficult  job." 

"  I  always  feared  it  would  be,"  Hunterleys  agreed. 

"  Frenhofer  tells  me,"  Roche  continued,  "  that  f on 
some  reason  or  other  their  suspicions  have  been 
aroused  up  there.  They  are  all  on  edge.  You 
know,  the  house  is  cram-full  of  men-servants  and 


TROUBLE  BREWING  237 

there  are  to  be  a  dozen  of  them  on  duty  in  the 
grounds.  Two  or  three  of  these  fellows  are  nothing 
more  or  less  than  private  detectives,  and  they  all  of 
them  know  what  they're  about  or  Grex  wouldn't  have 
them." 

Hunterleys  looked  grave. 

"  It  sounds  awkward,"  he  admitted. 

"  The  general  idea  of  the  plot,"  Roche  went  on, 
walking  restlessly  up  and  down  the  room,  "  you  and 
I  have  already  solved,  and  by  this  time  they  know  it 
in  London.  But  there  are  two  things  which  I  feel 
they  may  discuss  to-night,  which  are  of  vital  impor- 
tance. The  first  is  the  date,  the  second  is  the  terms 
of  the  offer  to  Douaille.  Then,  of  course,  more  im- 
portant, perhaps,  than  either  of  these,  is  the  matter 
of  Douaille's  general  attitude  towards  the  scheme." 

"  So  far,"  Hunterleys  remarked  reflectively,  "  we 
haven't  the  slightest  indication  of  what  that  may  be. 
Douaille  came  pledged  to  nothing.  He  may,  after 
all,  stand  firm." 

"  For  the  honour  of  his  country,  let  us  hope  so," 
Roche  said  solemnly.  "  Yet  I  am  sure  of  one  thing. 
They  are  going  to  make  him  a  wonderful  offer.  He 
may  find  himself  confronted  with  a  problem  which 
some  of  the  greatest  statesmen  in  the  world  have  had 
to  face  in  their  time  —  shall  he  study  the  material 
benefit  of  his  country,  or  shall  he  stand  firm  for  her 
honour?  " 

"  It's  a  great  ethical  question,"  Hunterleys  de- 
clared, "  too  great  for  us  to  discuss  now,  Sidney. 
Tell  me,  do  you  really  mean  to  go  on  with  this  at- 
tempt of  yours  to-night?  " 

"  I  must,"  Roche  replied.     "  Frenhofer  wants  me 


238        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

to  give  up  the  roof  idea,  but  there  is  nothing  else 
worth  trying.  He  brought  a  fresh  plan  of  the  room 
with  him.  There  it  lies  on  the  table.  As  you  see, 
the  apartment  where  the  meeting  will  take  place  is 
almost  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the  house.  There 
is  only  one  approach  to  it,  by  a  corridor  leading  from 
the  hall.  The  east  and  west  sides  will  be  patrolled. 
On  the  south  there  is  a  little  terrace,  but  the  ap- 
proach to  it  is  absolutely  impossible.  There  is  a 
sheer  drop  of  fifty  feet  on  to  the  beach." 

"  You  think  they  have  no  suspicion  about  the 
roof?  "  Hunterleys  asked  doubtfully. 

"  Not  yet.  The  pane  of  glass  is  cut  out  and  my 
entrance  to  the  house  is  arranged  for.  Frenhofer 
will  tamper  with  the  electric  lights  in  the  kitchen 
premises  and  I  shall  arrive  in  response  to  his  tele- 
phonic message,  in  the  clothes  of  a  working-man  and 
with  a  bag  of  tools.  Then  he  smuggles  me  on  to  the 
spiral  stairway  which  leads  out  on  to  the  roof  where 
the  flag-staff  is.  I  can  crawl  the  rest  of  the  way 
to  my  place.  The  trouble  is  that  notwithstanding 
the  ledge  around,  if  it  is  a  perfectly  clear  night,  just 
a  fraction  of  my  body,  however  flat  I  lie,  might  be 
seen  from  the  ground." 

Hunterleys  studied  the  plan  for  a  moment  and 
shook  his  head. 

"  It's  a  terrible  risk,  this,  Roche,"  he  said  seri- 
ously. 

"  I  know  it,"  the  other  admitted,  "  but  what  am 
I  to  do?  They  keep  sending  me  cipher  messages 
from  home  to  spare  no  effort  to  send  further  news, 
as  you  know  very  well,  and  two  other  fellows  will  be 
here  the  day  after  to-morrow,  to  relieve  me.  I  must 


TROUBLE  BREWING  239 

do  what  I  can.  There's  one  thing,  Felicia's  off  my 
mind  now.  Briston's  a  good  fellow  and  he'll  look 
after  her." 

"  In  the  event  of  your  capture  — "  Hunterleys  be- 
gan. 

"  The  tools  I  shall  take  with  me,"  Roche  inter- 
rupted, "  are  common  housebreaker's  tools.  Every 
shred  of  clothing  I  shall  be  wearing  will  be  in  keep- 
ing, the  ordinary  garments  of  an  ouvrier  of  the  dis- 
trict. If  I  am  trapped,  it  will  be  as  a  burglar  and 
not  as  a  spy.  Of  course,  if  Douaille  opens  the  pro- 
ceedings by  declaring  himself  against  the  scheme,  I 
shall  make  myself  scarce  as  quickly  as  I  can." 

"  You  were  quite  right  when  you  said  just  now," 
Hunterleys  observed,  "  that  Douaille  will  find  himself 
in  a  difficult  position.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that  he 
is  an  honest  man.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  polit- 
ical axiom  that  the  first  duty  of  any  statesman  is  to 
his  own  people.  If  they  can  make  Douaille  believe 
that  he  is  going  to  restore  her  lost  provinces  to 
France  without  the  shedding  of  a  drop  of  French 
blood,  simply  at  England's  expense,  he  will  be  con- 
fronted with  a  problem  over  which  any  man  might 
hesitate.  He  has  had  all  day  to  think  it  over. 
What  he  may  decide  is  simply  on  the  knees  of  the 
gods." 

Roche  sealed  up  the  letter  he  had  been  writing, 
and  handed  it  to  Hunterleys. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  I  have  left  everything  in  order. 
If  there's  any  mysterious  disappearance  from  here,  it 
will  be  the  mysterious  disappearance  of  a  newspaper 
correspondent,  and  nothing  else." 

"  Good  luck,  then,  old  chap ! "  Hunterleys  wished 


240        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

him.  "  If  you  pull  through  this  time,  I  think  our 
job  will  be  done.  I'll  tell  them  at  headquarters  that 
you  deserve  a  year's  holiday." 

Roche  smiled  a  little  queerly. 

"  Don't  forget,"  he  pointed  out,  "  that  it  was  you 
who  scented  out  the  whole  plot.  I've  simply  done 
the  Scotland  Yard  work.  The  worst  of  our  job  is," 
he  added,  as  he  opened  the  door,  "  that  we  don't 
want  holidays.  We  are  like  drugged  beings.  The 
thing  gets  hold  of  us.  I  suppose  if  they  gave  me  a 
holiday  I  should  spend  it  in  St.  Petersburg.  That's 
where  we  ought  to  send  our  best  men  just  now.  So 
long,  Sir  Henry." 

They  shook  hands  once  more.  Roche's  face  was 
set  in  grim  lines.  They  were  both  silent  for  a  mo- 
ment. It  was  the  farewell  of  men  whose  eyes  are 
fixed  upon  the  great  things. 

"  Good  luck  to  you ! "  Hunterleys  repeated  fer- 
vently, as  he  turned  and  walked  down  the  tiled  way. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

HUNTERLEYS    SCENTS    MURDEB, 

The  concierge  of  the  Hotel  de  Paris  was  a  man  of 
great  stature  and  imposing  appearance.  Neverthe- 
less, when  Hunterleys  crossed  the  road  and  climbed 
the  steps  to  the  hotel,  he  seemed  for  a  moment  like  a 
man  reduced  to  pulp.  He  absolutely  forgot  his 
usual  dignified  but  courteous  greeting.  With  mouth 
a  little  open  and  knees  which  seemed  to  have  col- 
lapsed, he  stared  at  this  unexpected  apparition  as 
he  came  into  sight  and  stared  at  him  as  he  entered 
the  hotel.  Hunterleys  glanced  behind  with  a  slight 
frown.  The  incident,  inexplicable  though  it  was, 
would  have  passed  at  once  from  his  memory,  but  that 
directly  he  entered  the  hotel  he  was  conscious  of  the 
very  similar  behaviour  and  attitude  towards  him  of 
the  chief  reception  clerk.  He  paused  on  his  way,  a 
little  bewildered,  and  called  the  man  to  him.  The 
clerk,  however,  was  already  rushing  towards  the  of- 
fice with  his  coat-tails  flying  behind  him.  Hunter- 
leys  crossed  the  floor  and  rang  the  bell  for  the  lift. 
Directly  he  stepped  in,  the  lift  man  vacated  his  place, 
and  with  his  eyes  nearly  starting  out  of  his  head, 
seemed  about  to  make  a  rush  for  his  life. 

"  Come  back  here,"  Hunterleys  ordered  sternly. 
"  Take  me  up  to  my  room  at  once." 

The  man  returned  unsteadily  and  with  marked  re- 


242        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

luctance.  He  closed  the  gate,  touched  the  handle 
and  the  lift  commenced  to  ascend. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you  all  here  ?  "  Hunter- 
leys  demanded,  irritably.  "  Is  there  anything  wrong 
with  my  appearance?  Has  anything  happened?  " 

The  man  made  a  gesture  but  said  absolutely  noth- 
ing. The  lift  had  stopped.  He  pushed  open  the 
door. 

"  Monsieur's  floor,"  he  faltered. 

Hunterleys  stepped  out  and  made  his  way  towards 
his  room.  Arrived  there,  he  was  brought  to  a  sud- 
den standstill.  A  gendarme  was  stationed  outside. 

"  What  the  mischief  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  Hun- 
terleys demanded. 

The  man  saluted. 

"  By  orders  of  the  Director  of  Police,  monsieur." 

"  But  that  is  my  room,"  Hunterleys  protested. 
**  I  wish  to  enter." 

"  No  one  is  permitted  to  enter,  monsieur,"  the  man 
replied. 

Hunterleys  stared  blankly  at  the  gendarme. 

"  Can't  you  tell  me  at  least  what  has  happened?  " 
he  persisted.  "  I  am  Sir  Henry  Hunterleys.  That 
is  my  apartment.  Why  do  I  find  it  locked  against 
me?  " 

"  By  order  of  the  Director  of  the  Police,  mon- 
sieur," was  the  parrot-like  reply. 

Hunterleys  turned  away  impatiently.  At  that 
moment  the  reception  clerk  who  downstairs  had  fled 
at  his  approach,  returned,  bringing  with  him  the 
manager  of  the  hotel.  Hunterleys  welcomed  the  lat- 
ter with  an  air  of  relief. 

"  Monsieur  Picard,"  he  exclaimed,  "  what  on  earth 


HUNTERLEYS  SCENTS  MURDER     243 

is  the  meaning  of  this?  Why  do  I  find  my  room 
closed  and  this  gendarme  outside?" 

Monsieur  Picard  was  a  tall  man,  black-bearded, 
immaculate  in  appearance  and  deportment,  with 
manners  and  voice  of  velvet.  Yet  he,  too,  had  lost 
his  wonderful  imperturbability.  He  waved  away  the 
floor  waiter,  who  had  drawn  near.  His  manner  was 
almost  agitated. 

**  Monsieur  Sir  Henry,"  he  explained,  "  an  affair 
the  most  regrettable  has  happened  in  your  room.  I 
have  allotted  to  you  another  apartment  upon  the 
same  floor.  Your  things  have  been  removed  there. 
If  you  will  come  with  me  I  will  show  it  to  you.  It  is 
an  apartment  better  by  far  than  the  one  you  have 
been  occupying,  and  the  price  is  the  same." 

"  But  what  on  earth  has  happened  in  my  room  ?  " 
Hunterleys  demanded. 

"  Monsieur,"  the  hotel  manager  replied,  '*  some 
poor  demented  creature  who  has  doubtless  lost  his 
all,  in  your  absence  found  his  way  there  and  com- 
mitted suicide." 

"  Found  his  way  into  my  room?  "  Hunterleys  re- 
peated. "  But  I  locked  the  door  before  I  went  out. 
I  have  the  key  in  my  pocket." 

"  He  entered  possibly  through  the  bathroom,"  the 
manager  went  on,  soothingly.  "  I  am  deeply  grieved 
that  monsieur  should  be  inconvenienced  in  any  way. 
This  is  the  apartment  I  have  reserved  for  monsieur," 
he  added,  throwing  open  the  door  of  a  room  at  the 
end  of  the  corridor.  "  It  is  more  spacious  and  in 
every  way  more  desirable.  Monsieur's  clothes  are 
already  being  put  away." 

Hunterleys    glanced    around    the    apartment.     It 


244        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

was  certainly  of  a  far  better  type  than  the  one  he 
had  been  occupying,  and  two  of  the  floor  valets  were 
already  busy  with  his  clothes. 

"  Monsieur  will  be  well  satisfied  here,  I  am  sure," 
the  hotel  manager  continued.  "  May  I  be  permitted 
to  offer  my  felicitations  and  to  assure  you  of  my  im- 
mense relief.  There  was  a  rumour  —  the  affair  oc- 
curring in  monsieur's  apartment  —  that  the  unfor- 
tunate man  was  yourself,  Sir  Henry." 

Hunterleys  was  thoughtful  for  a  moment.  He 
began  to  understand  the  sensation  which  his  appear- 
ance had  caused.  Other  ideas,  too,  were  crowding 
into  his  brain. 

"  Look  here,  Monsieur  Picard,"  he  said,  "  of 
course,  I  have  no  objection  to  the  change  of  rooms 
—  that's  all  right  —  but  I  should  like  to  know  a  lit- 
tle more  about  the  man  who  you  say  committed 
suicide  in  my  apartment.  I  should  like  to  see 
him." 

Monsieur  Picard  shook  his  head. 

"  It  would  be  a  very  difficult  matter,  that,  mon- 
sieur," he  declared.  "  The  laws  of  Monaco  are 
stringent  in  such  affairs." 

"  That  is  all  very  well,"  Hunterleys  protested, 
"  but  I  cannot  understand  what  he  was  doing  in  my 
apartment.  Can't  I  go  in  just  for  a  moment?  " 

"  Impossible,  monsieur !  Without  the  permission 
of  the  Commissioner  of  Police  no  one  can  enter  that 
room." 

"  Then  I  should  like,"  Hunterleys  persisted,  "  to 
see  the  Commissioner  of  Police." 

Monsieur  Picard  bowed. 

"  Monsieur  the  Commissioner  is  on  the  premises, 


HUNTERLEYS  SCENTS  MURDER     245 

without  a  doubt.  I  will  instruct  him  of  Monsieur 
Sir  Henry's  desire." 

"  I  ghall  be  glad  if  you  will  do  so  at  once,"  Hun- 
terleys  said  firmly.  "  I  will  wait  for  him  here." 

The  manager  made  his  escape  and  his  relief  was 
obvious.  Hunterleys  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  bed. 

"  Do  you  know  anything  about  this  affair?  "  he 
asked  the  nearer  of  the  two  valets. 

The  man  shook  his  head. 

"  Nothing  at  all,  monsieur,"  he  answered,  without 
pausing  from  his  labours. 

"  How  did  the  fellow  get  into  my  room  ?  " 

"  One  knows  nothing,"  the  other  man  muttered. 

Hunterleys  watched  them  for  a  few  minutes  at 
their  labours. 

"  A  nice,  intelligent  couple  of  fellows  you  are,"  he 
remarked  pleasantly.  "  Come,  here's  a  louis  each. 
Now  can't  you  tell  me  something  about  the  affair  ?  " 

They  came  forward.  Both  looked  longingly  at 
the  coins. 

"  Monsieur,"  the  one  he  had  first  addressed  regret- 
ted, "  there  is  indeed  nothing  to  be  known.  At  this 
hotel  the  wages  are  good.  It  is  the  finest  situation  a 
man  may  gain  in  Monte  Carlo  or  elsewhere,  but  if 
anything  like  this  happens,  there  is  to  be  silence. 
One  dares  not  break  the  rule." 

Hunterleys  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  All  right,"  he  said.  "  I  shall  find  out  what  I 
want  to  know,  in  time." 

The  men  returned  unwillingly  to  their  tasks.  In 
a  moment  or  two  there  was  a  knock  at  the  door. 
The  Commissioner  of  Police  entered,  accompanied 
by  the  hotel  manager,  who  at  once  introduced  him. 


246        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  The  Commissioner  of  Police  is  here,  Sir  Henry," 
he  announced.  "  He  will  speak  with  you  immedi- 
ately." 

The  official  saluted. 

"  Monsieur  desires  some  information?  " 

"  I  do,"  Hunterleys  admitted.  "  I  am  told  that 
a  man  has  committed  suicide  in  my  room,  and  I  have 
heard  no  plausible  explanation  as  to  how  he  got 
there.  I  want  to  see  him.  It  is  possible  that  I  may 
recognise  him." 

"  The  fellow  is  already  identified,"  the  Director  of 
Police  declared.  "  I  can  satisfy  monsieur's  curios- 
ity. Pie  was  connected  with  a  firm  of  English  tail- 
ors here,  who  sought  business  from  the  gentlemen  in 
the  hotel.  He  had  accordingly  sometimes  the  en- 
tree to  their  apartments.  The  fellow  is  reported 
to  have  saved  a  little  money  and  to  have  visited  the 
tables.  He  lost  everything.  He  came  this  morning 
about  his  business  as  usual,  but,  overcome  by  despair, 
stabbed  himself,  most  regrettably  in  the  apartments 
of  monsieur." 

"  Since  you  know  all  about  him,  perhaps  you  can 
tell  me  his  name  ?  "  Hunterleys  asked. 

"  James  Allen.  Monsieur  may  recall  him  to  his 
memory.  He  was  tall  and  of  pale  complexion,  re- 
spectable-looking, but  a  man  of  discontented  ap- 
pearance. The  intention  had  probably  been  in  his 
mind  for  some  time." 

"  Is  there  any  objection  to  my  seeing  the  body?  " 
Hunterleys  enquired. 

The  official  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  But,  monsieur,  all  is  finished  with  the  poor  fel- 
low. The  doctor  has  given  his  certificate.  He  is 


HUNTERLEYS  SCENTS  MURDER     247 

to  be  removed  at  once.  He  will  be  buried  at  night- 
fall." 

"  A  very  admirable  arrangement,  without  a  doubt," 
Hunterleys  observed,  "  and  yet,  I  should  like,  as  I 
remarked  before,  to  see  the  body.  You  know  who 
I  am  —  Sir  Henry  Hunterleys.  I  had  a  message 
from  your  department  a  day  or  two  ago  which  I 
thought  a  little  unfair." 

The  Commissioner  sighed.  He  ignored  altogether 
the  conclusion  of  Hunterleys'  sentence. 

"  It  is  against  the  rules,  monsieur,"  he  regret- 
ted. 

"Then  to  whom  shall  I  apply?"  Hunterleys 
asked,  "  because  I  may  as  well  tell  you  at  once  that  I 
am  going  to  insist  upon  my  request  being  granted. 
I  will  tell  you  frankly  my  reason.  It  is  not  a  mat- 
ter of  curiosity  at  all.  I  should  like  to  feel  assured 
of  the  fact  that  this  man  Allen  really  committed  sui- 
cide." 

"  But  he  is  dead,  monsieur,"  the  Commissioner 
protested. 

"  Doubtless,"  Hunterleys  agreed,  "  but  there  is 
also  the  chance  that  he  was  murdered,  isn't  there  ?  " 

"Murdered!" 

Monsieur  Picard  held  up  his  hands  in  horror.  The 
Commissioner  of  Police  smiled  in  derision. 

"  But,  monsieur,"  the  latter  pointed  out,  "  who 
would  take  the  trouble  to  murder  a  poverty-stricken 
tailor's  assistant ! " 

"  And  in  my  hotel,  too ! "  Monsieur  Picard  inter- 
vened. 

"  The  thing  is  impossible,"  the  Commissioner  de- 
clared. 


248        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Beyond  which  it  is  ridiculous !  "  Monsieur  Picard 
added. 

Hunterleys  sat  quite  silent  for  a  moment. 

"  Monsieur  the  Commissioner,"  he  said  presently, 
"  and  Monsieur  Picard,  I  recognise  your  point  of 
view.  Believe  me  that  I  appreciate  it  and  that  I  am 
willing,  to  a  certain  extent,  to  acquiesce  in  it.  At  the 
same  time,  there  are  considerations  in  this  matter 
which  I  cannot  ignore.  I  do  not  wish  to  create  any 
disturbance  or  to  make  any  statements  likely  to  mil- 
itate against  the  popularity  of  your  wonderful  ho- 
tel, Monsieur  Picard.  Nevertheless,  for  personal 
reasons  only,  notwithstanding  the  verdict  of  your 
doctor,  I  should  like  for  one  moment  to  examine  the 
body." 

The  Commissioner  of  Police  was  thoughtful  for  a 
moment. 

"  It  shall  be  as  monsieur  desires,"  he  consented 
gravely,  "  bearing  in  mind  what  monsieur  has  said," 
he  added  with  emphasis. 

The  three  men  left  the  room  and  passed  down  the 
corridor.  The  gendarme  in  front  of  the  closed  door 
stood  on  one  side.  The  Commissioner  produced  a 
key.  They  all  three  entered  the  room  and  Monsieur 
Picard  closed  the  door  behind  them.  Underneath  a 
sheet  upon  the  bed  was  stretched  the  figure  of  a  man. 
Hunterleys  stepped  up  to  it,  turned  down  the  sheet 
and  examined  the  prostrate  figure.  Then  he  re- 
placed the  covering  reverently. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  that  is  the  man  who  has  called 
upon  me  for  orders  from  the  English  tailors.  His 
name,  I  believe,  was,  as  you  say,  Allen.  But  can 
you  tell  me,  Monsieur  the  Commissioner,  how  it  wa§ 


HUNTERLEYS  SCENTS  MURDER     249 

possible  for  a  man  to  stab  himself  from  the  shoulder 
downwards  through  the  heart  ?  " 

The  Official  extended  his  hands. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  declared,  "  it  is  not  for  us.  The 
doctor  has  given  his  certificate." 

Hunterleys  smiled  a  little  grimly. 

"  I  have  always  understood,"  he  observed,  "  that 
things  were  managed  like  this.  You  may  have  con- 
fidence in  me,  Monsieur  the  Commissioner,  and  you, 
Monsieur  Picard.  I  shall  not  tell  the  world  what  I 
suspect.  But  for  your  private  information  I  will 
tell  you  that  this  man  was  probably  murdered  by  an 
assassin  who  sought  my  life.  You  observe  that  there 
is  a  certain  resemblance." 

The  hotel  proprietor  turned  pale. 

"  Murdered !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  Impossible !  A 
murder  here  —  unheard  of !  " 

The  Commissioner  dismissed  the  whole  thing  airily 
with  A  wave  of  his  hand. 

"  The  doctor  has  signed  the  certificate,"  he  re- 
peated. 

"  And  I,"  Hunterleys  added,  as  he  led  the  way  out 
of  the  room,  "  am  more  than  satisfied  —  I  am  grate- 
ful. So  there  is  nothing  more  to  be  said." 


CHAPTER  XXV 

DRACONMEYER   IS    DESPERATE 

Draconmeyer  stood  before  the  window  of  his  room, 
looking  out  over  the  Mediterranean.  There  was  no 
finer  view  to  be  obtained  from  any  suite  in  the  hotel, 
and  Monte  Carlo  had  revelled  all  that  day  in  the 
golden,  transfiguring  sunshine.  Yet  he  looked  as  a 
blind  man.  His  eyes  saw  nothing  of  the  blue  sea 
or  the  brown-sailed  fishing  boats,  nor  did  he  once 
glance  towards  the  picturesque  harbour.  He  saw 
only  his  own  future,  the  shattered  pieces  of  his  care- 
fully-thought-out scheme.  The  first  fury  had 
passed.  His  brain  was  working  now.  In  her  room 
below,  Lady  Hunterleys  was  lying  on  the  couch,  half 
hysterical.  Three  times  she  had  sent  for  her  hus- 
band. If  he  should  return  at  that  moment,  Dracon- 
meyer knew  that  the  game  was  up.  There  would  be 
no  bandying  words  between  them,  no  involved  ex- 
planations, no  possibility  of  any  further  misunder- 
standing. All  his  little  tissue  of  lies  and  misrepre- 
sentations would  crumble  hopelessly  to  pieces.  The 
one  feeling  in  her  heart  would  be  thankfulness.  She 
would  open  her  arms.  He  saw  the  end  with  fatal, 
unerring  truthfulness. 

His  servant  returned.  Draconmeyer  waited  ea- 
gerly for  his  message. 

"  Lady  Huriterleys  is  lying  down,  sir,"  the  man 


DRACONMEYER  IS  DESPERATE      251 

announced.  "  She  is  very  much  upset  and  begs  you 
to  excuse  her." 

Draconmeyer  waved  the  man  away  and  walked 
up  and  down  the  apartment,  his  hands  behind  his 
back,  his  lips  hard-set.  He  was  face  to  face  with 
a  crisis  which  baffled  him  completely,  and  yet  which 
he  felt  to  be  wholly  unworthy  of  his  powers.  His 
brain  had  never  been  keener,  his  sense  of  power  more 
inspiring.  Yet  he  had  never  felt  more  impotent. 
It  was  woman's  hysteria  against  which  he  had  to 
fight.  The  ordinary  weapons  were  useless.  He  re- 
alised quite  well  her  condition  and  the  dangers  re- 
sulting from  it.  The  heart  of  the  woman  was  once 
more  beating  to  its  own  natural  tune.  If  Hunter- 
leys  should  present  himself  within  the  next  few  min- 
utes, not  all  his  ingenuity  nor  the  power  of  his 
millions  could  save  the  situation. 

Plans  shaped  themselves  almost  automatically  in 
his  mind.  He  passed  from  his  own  apartments, 
through  a  connecting  door  into  a  large  and  beauti- 
fully-furnished salon.  A  woman  with  grey  hair  and 
white  face  was  lying  on  a  couch  by  the  window.  She 
turned  her  head  as  he  entered  and  looked  at  him 
questioningly.  Her  face  was  fragile  and  her  fea- 
tures were  sharpened  by  suffering.  She  looked  at 
her  husband  almost  as  a  cowed  but  still  affectionate 
animal  might  look  towards  a  stern  master. 

"  Do  you  feel  well  enough  to  walk  as  far  as  Lady 
Hunterleys'  apartment  with  the  aid  of  my  arm  ?  " 
he  asked. 

"  Of  course,"  she  replied.  "  Does  Violet  want 
me?" 

"  She   is   still   feeling  the   shock,"  Draconmeyer 


252        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

said.  "  I  think  that  she  is  inclined  to  be  hystei  ical. 
It  would  do  her  good  to  have  you  talk  with  her." 

The  nurse,  who  had  been  sitting  by  her  side,  as- 
sisted her  patient  to  rise.  She  leaned  on  her  hus- 
band's arm.  In  her  other  hand  she  carried  a  black 
ebony  walking-stick.  They  traversed  the  corridor, 
knocked  at  the  door  of  Lady  Hunterleys'  apartment, 
and  in  response  to  a  somewhat  hesitating  invitation, 
entered.  Violet  was  lying  upon  the  sofa.  She 
looked  up  eagerly  at  their  coming. 

"  Linda !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  How  dear  of  you !  I 
thought  that  it  might  have  been  Henry,"  she  added, 
as  though  to  explain  the  disappointment  in  her  tone. 

Draconmeyer  turned  away  to  hide  his  expression. 

"  Talk  to  her  as  lightly  as  possible,"  he  whispered 
to  his  wife,  "  but  don't  leave  her  alone.  I  will  come 
back  for  you  in  ten  minutes." 

He  left  the  two  women  together  and  descended 
into  the  hall.  He  found  several  of  the  reception 
clerks  whispering  together.  The  concierge  had  only 
just  recovered  himself,  but  the  place  was  beginning 
to  wear  its  normal  aspect.  He  whispered  an  en- 
quiry at  the  desk.  Sir  Henry  Hunterle}rs  had  just 
come  in  and  had  gone  upstairs,  he  was  told.  His 
new  room  was  number  148. 

"  There  was  a  note  from  his  wife,"  Draconmeyer 
said,  trying  hard  to  control  his  voice.  "  Has  he 
had  it?  " 

"  It  is  here  still,  sir,"  the  clerk  replied.  "  I  tried 
to  catch  Sir  Henry  as  he  passed  through,  but  he  was 
too  quick  for  me.  To  tell  you  the  truth,"  he  went 
on,  "  there  has  been  a  rumour  through  the  hotel  that 
it  wai  Sir  Henry  himself  who  had  been  found  dead 


DRACONMEYER  IS  DESPERATE      253 

in  his  room,  and  seeing  him  come  in  was  rather  a 
shock  for  all  of  us." 

"  Naturally,"  Draconmeyer  agreed.  "  If  you  will 
give  me  the  note  I  will  take  it  up  to  him." 

The  clerk  handed  it  over  without  hesitation.  Dra- 
conmeyer returned  immediately  to  his  own  apart- 
ments and  torn  open  the  envelope.  There  were  only 
a  few  words  scrawled  across  the  half-sheet  of  note- 
paper  : 

Henry,  come  to  me,  dear,  at  once.  I  have  had  such 
a  shock.  I  want  to  see  you. 

Vi. 

He  tore  the  note  viciously  into  small  pieces.  Then 
he  went  back  to  Lady  Hunterleys'  apartments.  She 
was  sitting  up  now  in  an  easy-chair.  Once  more,  at 
the  sound  of  the  knock,  she  looked  towards  the  door 
eagerly.  Her  face  fell  when  Draconmeyer  entered. 

"  Have  you  heard  anything  about  Henry  ?  "  she 
asked  anxiously. 

"  He  came  back  a  few  minutes  ago,"  Draconmeyer 
replied,  "  and  has  gone  out  again." 

"  Gone  out  again  ?  " 

Draconmeyer  nodded. 

"  I  think  that  he  has  gone  round  to  the  Club.  He 
is  a  man  of  splendid  nerve,  your  husband.  He  seemed 
to  treat  the  whole  affair  as  an  excellent  joke." 

"A  joke!"  she  repeated  blankly. 

"  This  sort  of  thing  happens  so  often  in  Monte 
Carlo,"  he  observed,  in  a  matter-of-fact  tone.  "  The 
hotel  people  seem  all  to  look  upon  it  as  in  the  day's 
work." 

"  I  wonder  if  Henry  had  my  note?  "  she  faltered. 


254        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  He  was  reading  one  in  the  hall  when  I  saw  him," 
Draconmeyer  told  her.  "  That  would  be  yours,  I 
should  think.  He  left  a  message  at  the  desk  which 
was  doubtless  meant  for  you.  He  has  gone  on  to 
the  Sporting  Club  for  an  hour  and  will  probably  be 
back  in  time  to  change  for  dinner." 

Violet  sat  quite  still  for  several  moments.  Some- 
thing seemed  to  die  slowly  out  of  her  face.  Presently 
she  rose  to  her  feet. 

"  I  suppose,"  she  said,  "  that  I  am  very  foolish  to 
allow  myself  to  be  upset  like  this." 

"  It  is  quite  natural,"  Draconmeyer  assured  her 
soothingly.  "  What  you  should  try  to  do  is  to  for- 
get the  whole  circumstance.  You  sit  here  brooding 
about  it  until  it  becomes  a  tragedy.  Let  us  go  down 
to  the  Club  together.  We  shall  probably  see  your 
husband  there." 

She  hesitated.     She  seemed  still  perplexed. 

"  I  wonder,"  she  murmured,  "  could  I  send  an- 
other message  to  him?  Perhaps  he  didn't  quite  un- 
derstand." 

"  Much  better  come  along  to  the  Club,"  Dracon- 
meyer advised,  good-humouredly.  "  You  can  be 
there  yourself  before  a  message  could  reach  him." 

"  Very  well,"  she  assented.  "  I  will  be  ready  in 
ten  minutes."  .  .  . 

Draconmeyer  took  his  wife  back  to  her  room. 

"  Did  I  do  as  you  wished,  dear  ?  "  she  asked  him 
anxiously. 

"  Absolutely,"  he  replied. 

He  helped  her  back  to  her  couch  and  stooped  and 
kissed  her.  She  leaned  back  wearily.  It  was  ob- 
vious that  she  had  found  the  exertion  of  moving  even 


DRACONMEYER  IS  DESPERATE      255 

so  far  exhausting.  Then  he  returned  to  his  own 
apartments.  Rapidly  he  unlocked  his  dispatch  box 
and  took  out  one  or  two  notes  from  Violet.  They 
were  all  of  no  importance  —  answers  to  invitations, 
or  appointments.  He  spread  them  out,  took  a  sheet 
of  paper  and  a  broad  pen.  Without  hesitation  he 
wrote : 

Congratulations  on  your  escape,  but  why  do  you  run 
such  risks!  I  wish  you  would  go  back  to  England. 

VIOLET. 

He  held  the  sheet  of  notepaper  a  little  away  from 
him  and  looked  at  it  critically.  The  imitation  was 
excellent.  He  thrust  the  few  lines  into  an  envelope, 
addressed  them  to  Hunterleys  and  descended  to  the 
hall.  He  left  the  note  at  the  office. 

"  Send  this  up  to  Sir  Henry,  will  you  ?  "  he  in- 
structed. "  Let  him  have  it  as  quickly  as  possi- 
ble." 

Once  more  he  crossed  the  hall  and  waited  close  to 
the  lift  by  which  she  would  descend.  All  the  time 
he  kept  on  glancing  nervously  around.  Things  were 
going  his  way,  but  the  great  danger  remained  —  if 
they  should  meet  first  by  chance  in  the  corridor,  or 
in  the  lift!  Hunterleys  might  think  it  his  duty  to 
go  at  once  to  his  wife's  apartment  in  case  she  had 
heard  the  rumour  of  his  death.  The  minutes  dragged 
by.  He  had  climbed  the  great  ladder  slowly.  Afore 
than  once  he  had  felt  it  sway  beneath  his  feet.  Yet 
to  him  those  moments  seemed  almost  the  longest 
of  his  life.  Then  at  last  she  came.  She  was  looking 
very  pale,  but  to  his  relief  he  saw  that  she  was 
dressed  for  the  Club.  She  was  wearing  a  grey 


256        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

dress  and  black  hat.  He  remembered  with  a  pang 
of  fury  that  grey  was  her  husband's  favourite  col- 
our. 

"  I  suppose  there  is  no  doubt  that  Henry  is  at 
the  Club?  "  she  asked,  looking  eagerly  around  the 
hall. 

"  Not  the  slightest,"  he  assured  her.  "  We  can 
have  some  tea  there  and  we  are  certain  to  come 
across  him  somewhere.'* 

She  made  no  further  difficulty.  As  they  turned 
into  the  long  passage  he  gave  a  sigh  of  relief.  Ev- 
ery step  they  took  meant  safety.  He  talked  to  her 
as  lightly  as  possible,  ignoring  the  fact  that  she 
scarcely  replied  to  him.  They  mounted  the  stairs 
and  entered  the  Club.  She  looked  anxiously  up  and 
down  the  crowded  rooms. 

"  I  shall  stroll  about  and  look  for  Henry,"  she  an- 
nounced. 

"  Very  well,"  he  agreed.  "  I  will  go  over  to  your 
place  and  see  how  the  numbers  are  going." 

He  stood  by  the  roulette  table,  but  he  watched  her 
covertly.  She  passed  through  the  baccarat  room, 
came  out  again  and  walked  the  whole  length  of  the 
larger  apartment.  She  even  looked  into  the  restau- 
rant beyond.  Then  she  came  slowly  back  to  where 
Draconmeyer  was  standing.  She  seemed  tired.  She 
scarcely  even  glanced  at  the  table. 

"  Lady  Hunterleys,"  he  exclaimed  impressively, 
"  this  is  positively  wicked !  Your  twenty-nine  has 
turned  up  twice  within  the  last  few  minutes.  Do  sit 
down  and  try  your  luck  and  I  will  go  and  see  if  I  can 
find  your  husband." 

He  pushed  a  handful  of  plaques  and  a  bundle  of 


DRACONMEYER  IS  DESPERATE      257 

notes  into  her  hand.  At  that  moment  the  croupier's 
voice  was  heard. 

"  Quatorze  rouge,  pair  et  manque." 

"  Another  of  my  numbers !  "  she  murmured,  with 
a  faint  show  of  interest.  "  I  don't  think  I  want  to 
play,  though." 

"  Try  just  a  few  coups,"  he  begged.  "  You  see, 
there  is  a  chair  here.  You  may  not  have  a  chance 
again  for  hours." 

He  was  using  all  his  will  power.  Somehow  or 
other,  she  found  herself  seated  in  front  of  the  table/ 
The  sight  of  the  pile  of  plaques  and  the  roll  of  notes 
was  inspiring.  She  leaned  across  and  with  trembling 
fingers  backed  number  fourteen  en  plem,  with  all  the 
carres  and  chevaux.  She  was  playing  the  game  at 
which  she  had  lost  so  persistently.  He  walked 
slowiy  away.  Every  now  and  then  from  a  dis- 
tance he  watched  her.  She  was  winning  and  los- 
ing alternately,  but  she  had  settled  down  now  in 
earnest.  He  breathed  a  great  sigh  of  relief  and 
took  a  seat  upon  a  divan,  whence  he  could  see  if 
she  moved.  Richard  Lane,  who  had  been  stand- 
ing at  the  other  side  of  the  table,  crossed  the  room 
and  came  over  to  him. 

"  Say,  do  you  know  where  Sir  Henry  is  ?  "  he  en- 
quired. 

Draconmeyer  shook  his  head. 

"  I  have  scarcely  seen  him  all  day." 

"  I  think  I'll  go  round  to  the  hotel  and  look  him 
up,"  Lane  decided  carelessly.  "  I'm  fed  up  with 
this  — " 

He  stopped  short.  He  was  no  longer  an  exceed- 
ingly bored  and  discontented-looking  young  man* 


258        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Draconmeyer  glanced  at  him  curiously.  He  felt  a 
thrill  of  sympathy.  This  stolid  young  man,  then, 
was  capable  of  feeling  something  of  the  same  emo- 
tion as  was  tearing  at  his  own  heartstrings.  Lane 
was  gazing  with  transfigured  face  towards  the  open 
doorway. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

EXTRAORDINARY    LOVE-MAKING 

Fedora  sauntered  slowly  around  the  rooms,  lean- 
ing over  and  staking  a  gold  plaque  here  and  there. 
She  was  dressed  as  usual  in  white,  with  an  ermine 
turban  hat  and  stole  and  an  enormous  muff.  Her 
hair  seemed  more  golden  than  ever  beneath  its  snow- 
white  setting,  and  her  complexion  more  dazzling. 
She  seemed  utterly  unconscious  of  the  admiration 
which  her  appearance  evoked,  and  she  passed  Lane 
without  apparently  observing  him.  A  moment  aft- 
erwards, however,  he  moved  to  her  side  and  addressed 
her. 

"  Quite  a  lucky  coup  of  yours,  that  last,  Miss 
Grex.  Are  you  used  to  winning  en  plein  like  that  ?  " 

She  turned  her  head  and  looked  at  him.  Her  eye- 
brows were  ever  so  slightly  uplifted.  Her  expres- 
sion was  chilling.  He  remained,  however,  absolutely 
unconscious  of  any  impending  trouble. 

"  I  was  sorry  not  to  find  you  at  home  this  morn- 
ing," he  continued.  "  I  brought  my  little  racing 
car  round  for  you  to  see.  I  thought  you  might 
have  liked  to  try  her." 

"  How  absurd  you  are !  "  she  murmured.  "  You 
must  know  perfectly  well  that  it  would  have  been 
quite  impossible  for  me  to  come  out  with  you  alone." 

"But  why?" 


26o        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

She  sighed. 

"  You  are  quite  hopeless,  or  you  pretend  to  be ! " 

"  If  I  am,"  he  replied,  "  it  is  because  you  won't 
explain  things  to  me  properly.  The  tables  are  much 
too  crowded  to  play  comfortably.  Won't  you  come 
and  sit  down  for  a  few  minutes  ?  " 

She  hesitated.  Lane  watched  her  anxiously.  He 
felt,  somehow,  that  a  great  deal  depended  upon  her 
reply.  Presently,  with  the  slightest  possible  shrug 
of  the  shoulders,  she  turned  around  and  suffered  him 
to  walk  by  her  side  to  the  little  antechamber  which 
divided  the  gambling  rooms  from  the  restaurant. 

"  Very  well,"  she  decided,  "  I  suppose,  after  all, 
one  must  remember  that  you  did  save  us  from  a  great 
deal  of  inconvenience  the  other  night.  I  will  talk 
to  you  for  a  few  minutes." 

He  found  her  an  easy-chair  and  he  sat  by  her 
side. 

"  This  is  bully,"  he  declared. 

"  Is  what  ?  "  she  asked,  once  more  raising  her  eye- 
brows. 

"  American  slang,"  he  explained  penitently.  "  I 
am  sorry.  I  meant  that  it  was  very  pleasant  to  be 
here  alone  with  you  for  a  few  minutes." 

"  You  may  not  find  it  so,  after  all,"  she  said  se- 
verely. "  I  feel  that  I  have  a  duty  to  perform." 

"  Well,  don't  let!s  bother  about  that  yet,  if  it 
means  a  lecture,"  he  begged.  "  You  shall  tell  me 
how  much  better  the  young  women  of  your  country 
behave  than  the  young  women  of  mine." 

"  Thank  you,"  she  replied,  "  I  am  never  inter- 
ested in  the  doings  of  a  democracy.  Your  country 
makes  no  appeal  to  me  at  all." 


EXTRAORDINARY  LOVE-MAKING     261 

"  Come,"  he  protested,  "  that's  a  little  too  bad. 
Why,  Russia  may  be  a  democracy  some  day,  you 
know.  You  very  nearly  had  a  republic  foisted  upon 
you  after  the  Japanese  war." 

"  You  are  quite  mistaken,"  she  assured  him. 
"  Russia  would  never  tolerate  a  republic." 

"  Russia  will  some  day  have  to  do  like  many  other 
countries,"  he  answered  firmly, — "  obey  the  will  of 
the  people." 

"  Russia  has  nothing  in  common  with  other  coun- 
tries," she  asserted.  "  There  was  never  a  nation 
yet  in  which  the  aristocracy  was  so  powerful." 

"  It's  only  a  matter  of  time,"  he  declared,  non- 
chalantly. 

She  shrugged  her  shoulders. 

"  You  represent  ideas  of  which  I  do  not  approve," 
she  told  him. 

"  I  don't  care  a  fig  about  any  ideas,"  he  replied. 
"  I  don't  care  much  about  anything  in  the  world  ex- 
cept you." 

She  turned  her  head  slowly  and  looked  at  him. 
Its  angle  was  supercilious,  her  tone  frigid. 

"  That  sort  of  a  speech  may  pass  for  polite  con- 
versation in  your  country,  Mr.  Lane.  We  do  not 
understand  it  in  mine." 

"  Don't  your  men  ever  tell  your  women  that  they 
love  them  ?  "  he  asked  bluntly. 

"  If  they  are  of  the  same  order,"  she  said,  "  if  the 
thing  is  at  all  possible,  it  may  sometimes  be  done. 
Marriage,  however,  is  more  a  matter  of  alliance  with 
us.  Our  servants,  I  believe,  are  quite  promiscuous 
in  their  love-making." 

He  was  silent  for  a  moment.     She  may,  perhaps, 


262        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

have  felt  some  compunction.  She  spoke  to  him  a 
little  more  kindly. 

"  We  cannot  help  the  ideas  of  the  country  in 
which  we  are  brought  up,  you  know,  Mr.  Lane." 

"  Of  course  not,"  he  agreed.  "  I  understand  that 
perfectly.  I  was  just  thinking,  though,  what  a  lot 
I  shall  have  to  teach  you." 

She  was  momentarily  aghast.  She  recovered  her- 
self quickly,  however. 

"  Are  all  the  men  of  your  nation  so  self-confi- 
dent? " 

"We  have  to  be,"  he  told  her.  "It's  the  only 
way  we  can  get  what  we  want." 

"  And  do  you  always  succeed  in  getting  what  you 
want?" 

"  Always ! " 

"  Then  unless  you  wish  to  be  an  exception,"  she 
advised,  "  let  me  beg  you  not  to  try  for  anything 
beyond  your  reach." 

"  There  is  nothing,"  he  declared  firmly,  "  beyond 
my  reach.  You  are  trying  to  discourage  me.  It 
isn't  any  use.  I  am  not  a  prince  or  a  duke  or  any- 
thing like  that,  although  my  ancestors  were  honest 
enough,  I  believe.  I  haven't  any  trappings  of  that 
sort  to  offer  you.  If  you  are  as  sensible  as  I  think 
you  are,  you  won't  mind  that  when  you  come  to  think 
it  over.  The  only  thing  I  am  ashamed  of  is  my 
money,  because  I  didn't  earn  it  for  myself.  You 
can  live  in  palaces  still,  if  you  want  to,  and  if  you 
want  to  be  a  queen  I'll  ferret  out  a  kingdom  some- 
where and  buy  it,  but  I  am  afraid  you'll  have  to  be 
Mrs.  Lane  behind  it  all,  you  know." 

"  You  really  are  the  most  intolerable  person,"  she 


EXTRAORDINARY  LOVE-MAKING     263 

exclaimed,  biting  her  lip.  "  How  can  I  get  these  ab- 
surd ideas  out  of  your  mind?  " 

"  By  telling  me  honestly,  looking  in  my  eyes  all 
the  time,  that  you  could  never  care  for  me  a  little  bit, 
however  devoted  I  was,"  he  answered  promptly. 
"  You  won't  be  able  to  do  it.  I've  only  one  belief 
in  life  about  these  things,  and  that  is  that  when  any 
one  cares  for  a  girl  as  I  care  for  you,  it's  absolutely 
impossible  for  her  to  be  wholly  indifferent.  It  isn't 
much  to  start  with,  I  know,  but  the  rest  will  come. 
Be  honest  with  me.  Is  there  any  one  of  the  men  of 
your  country  whom  you  have  met,  whom  you  want 
to  marry?  " 

She  frowned  slightly.  She  found  herself,  at  that 
moment,  comparing  him  with  certain  young  men  of 
her  acquaintance.  She  was  astonished  to  realise  that 
the  comparison  was  all  in  his  favour.  It  was  for  her 
an  extraordinary  moment.  She  had  indeed  been 
brought  up  in  palaces  and  the  men  whom  she  had 
known  had  been  reckoned  the  salt  of  the  earth.  Yet, 
at  that  crisis,  she  was  most  profoundly  conscious  that 
not  all  the  glamour  of  those  high-sounding  names,  the 
picturesque  interest  of  those  gorgeous  uniforms,  nor 
the  men  themselves,  magnificent  in  their  way,  were 
able  to  make  the  slightest  appeal  to  her.  She  re- 
membered some  of  her  own  bitter  words  when  an  alli- 
ance with  one  of  them  had  been  suggested  to  her. 
It  was  she,  then,  who  had  been  the  first  to  ignore  the 
divine  heritage  of  birth,  who  had  spoken  of  their 
drinking  habits,  pointed  to  their  life  of  idle  luxury 
and  worse  than  luxury.  The  man  who  was  at  the 
present  moment  her  suitor  forced  himself  upon  her 
recollection.  She  knew  quite  well  that  he  repre- 


264        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

sented  a  type.  They  were  of  the  nobility,  and  they 
seemed  to  her  in  that  one  poignant  but  unwelcome 
moment,  hatefully  degenerate,  men  no  self-respecting 
girl  could  ever  think  of.  Family  influence,  stern 
parental  words,  the  call  of  her  order,  had  half 
crushed  these  thoughts.  They  came  back  now,  how- 
ever, with  persistent  force. 

"  You  see,"  Richard  Lane  went  on,  "  it  mayn't  be 
much  that  I  have  to  offer  you,  but  in  your  heart  I 
know  you  feel  what  it  means  to  be  offered  the  love  of 
a  man  who  doesn't  want  you  just  because  you  are  of 
his  order,  or  because  you  are  the  daughter  of  a  Per- 
sonage, or  for  any  other  reason  than  because  he  cares 
for  you  as  he  has  cared  for  no  other  woman  on  earth, 
and  because,  without  knowing  it,  he  has  waited  for 
you." 

She  moved  restlessly  in  her  chair.  Their  conver- 
sation was  not  going  in  the  least  along  the  lines 
which  she  had  intended.  She  suddenly  remembered 
her  own  disquiet  of  the  day  before,  her  curious  long- 
ing to  steal  off  on  some  excuse  to-day.  A  week  ago 
she  would  have  been  content  to  have  dawdled  away 
the  afternoon  in  the  grounds  of  the  villa.  Some- 
thing different  had  come.  From  the  moment  she  had 
entered  the  rooms,  although  she  had  never  acknowl- 
edged it,  she  had  been  conscious,  pleasurably  con- 
scious of  his  presence.  She  was  suddenly  uneasy. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  she  murmured,  "  that  you  are  quite 
hopeless." 

"  If  you  mean  that  I  am  without  hope,  you  are 
wrong,"  he  answered  sturdily.  "  From  the  moment 
I  met  you  I  have  had  but  one  thought,  and  until  the 
last  day  of  my  life  I  shall  have  but  one  thought,  and 


EXTRAORDINARY  LOVE-MAKING     265 

that  thought  is  of  you.  There  may  be  no  end  of  dif- 
ficulties, but  I  come  of  an  obstinate  race.  I  have  pa- 
tience as  well  as  other  things." 

She  was  avoiding  looking  at  him  now.  She  looked 
instead  at  her  clasped  hands. 

"  I  wish  I  could  make  you  understand,"  she  said, 
in  a  low  tone,  "  how  impossible  all  this  is.  In  Eng- 
land and  America  I  know  that  it  is  different.  There, 
marriages  of  a  certain  sort  are  freely  made  between 
different  classes.  But  in  Russia  these  things  are  not 
thought  of.  Supposing  that  all  you  said  were  true. 
Supposing,  even,  that  I  had  the  slightest  disposition 
to  listen  to  you.  Do  you  realise  that  there  isn't  one 
of  my  family  who  wouldn't  cry  out  in  horror  at  the 
thought  of  my  marrying  —  forgive  me  —  marrying 
a  commoner  of  your  rank  in  life  ?  " 

"  They  can  cry  themselves  hoarse,  as  they'll  have 
to  some  day,"  he  replied  cheerfully.  "  As  for  you, 
Miss  Fedora  —  you  don't  mind  my  calling  you  Miss 
Fedora,  do  you  ?  —  you'll  be  glad  some  day  that  you 
were  born  at  the  beginning  of  a  new  era.  You  may 
be  a  pioneer  in  the  new  ways,  but  you  may  take 
my  word  for  it  that  you  won't  be  the  last.  Please 
have  courage.  Please  try  and  be  yourself,  won't 
you?" 

"  But  how  do  you  know  what  I  am  ?  "  she  pro- 
tested. "  Or  even  what  I  am  like  ?  We  have  spoken 
only  a  few  words.  Nothing  has  passed  between  us 
which  could  possibly  have  inspired  you  with  such 
feelings  as  you  speak  of,"  she  added,  colouring 
slightly.  "  It  is  a  fancy  of  yours,  quite  too  absurd 
a  fancy.  Now  that  I  find  myself  discussing  it  with 
you  as  though,  indeed,  we  were  talking  of  it  seri- 


266        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

ously,  I  am  inclined  to  laugh.  You  are  just  a  very 
foolish  young  man,  Mr.  Lane." 

He  shook  his  head. 

"  Look  here,"  he  said,  "  I  am  very  good  at  mean- 
ing things,  but  it's  awfully  hard  for  me  to  put  my 
thoughts  into  words.  I  can't  explain  how  it's  all 
come  about.  I  don't  know  why,  amongst  all  the  girls 
I've  seen  in  my  own  country,  or  England,  or  Paris,  or 
anywhere,  there  hasn't  been  one  who  could  bring  me 
the  things  which  you  bring,  who  could  fill  my  mind 
with  the  thoughts  you  fill  it  with,  who  could  make 
my  days  stand  still  and  start  again,  who  could  upset 
the  whole  machinery  of  my  life  so  that  when  you 
come  I  want  to  dance  with  happiness,  and  when  you 
go  the  day  is  over  with  me.  There  is  no  chance  of  my 
being  able  to  explain  this  to  you,  because  other  fel-. 
lows,  much  cleverer  than  I,  have  been  in  the  same 
box,  and  they've  had  to  come  to  the  conclusion,  too, 
that  there  isn't  any  explanation.  I  have  accepted  it. 
I  want  you  to.  I  love  you,  Fedora,  and  I  will  be 
faithful  to  you  all  my  life.  You  shall  live  where  you 
choose  and  how  you  choose,  but  you  must  be  my  wife. 
There  isn't  any  way  out  of  it  for  either  of  us." 

She  sat  quite  still  for  several  moments.  They 
were  a  little  behind  the  curtain  and  it  chanced  that 
there  was  no  one  in  their  immediate  vicinity.  She 
felt  her  fingers  suddenly  gripped.  They  were  re- 
leased again  almost  at  once,  but  a  queer  sensation  of 
something  overmastering  seemed  to  creep  through 
her  whole  being  at  the  touch  of  his  hand.  She  rose 
to  her  feet. 

"  I  am  going  away,"  she  declared. 

"  I  haven't  offended  you  ?  "  he  begged.     "  Please 


EXTRAORDINARY  LOVE-MAKING     267 

git  down.     We  haven't  half  talked  over  things  yet." 

"  We  have  talked  too  much,"  she  answered.  "  I 
don't  know  really  what  has  come  over  me  that  I  have 
let  you  —  that  I  listen  to  you  — " 

"  It  is  because  you  feel  the  truth  of  what  I  say," 
he  insisted.  "  Don't  get  up,  Fedora.  Don't  go 
away,  dear.  Let  us  have  at  least  these  few  minutes 
together.  I'll  do  exactly  as  you  tell  me.  I'll  come 
to  your  father  or  I'll  carry  you  off.  I  have  a  sister 
here.  She'll  be  your  friend — " 

"  Don't !  "  the  girl  stopped  him.    "  Please  don't !  " 

She  sat  down  in  her  chair  again.  Her  fingers 
were  twisted  together,  her  slim  form  was  tense  with 
stifled  emotions. 

"  Have  I  been  a  brute  ?  "  he  asked  softly.  "  You 
must  forgive  me,  Fedora.  I  am  not  much  used  to 
girls  and  I  am  sort  of  carried  away  myself,  only  I 
want  you  to  believe  that  there's  the  real  thing  in 
my  heart.  I'll  make  you  just  as  happy  as  a  woman 
can  be.  Don't  shake  your  head,  dear.  I  want  you 
to  trust  me  and  believe  in  me." 

'*  I  think  you're  a  most  extraordinary  person," 
she  said  at  last.  "  Do  you  know,  I'm  beginning  to 
be  really  afraid  of  you." 

"  You're  not,"  he  insisted.  "  You're  afraid  of 
yourself.  You're  afraid  because  you  see  the  down- 
fall of  the  old  ideas.  You're  afraid  because  you 
know  that  you're  going  to  be  a  renegade.  You  can 
see  nothing  but  trouble  ahead  just  now.  I'll  take 
you  right  away  from  that." 

There  was  the  rustle  of  skirts,  8  soft  little  laugh. 
Richard  rose  to  his  feet  promptly.     He  had  never 
so  pleased  in  all  his  life  to  welcome  his  sister. 


268        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Flossie,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I'm  ever  so  glad  you 
came  along!  I  want  to  present  Miss  Grex  to  you. 
This  is  my  sister,  Miss  Fedora  —  Lady  Weybourne. 
I  was  just  going  to  ask  Miss  Grex  to  have  some  tea 
with  me,"  he  went  on,  "  but  I  am  not  sure  that  she 
would  have  considered  it  proper.  Do  come  along 
and  be  chaperone." 

Lady  Weybourne  laughed. 

"  I  shall  be  delighted,"  she  declared.  "  I  have 
seen  you  here  once  or  twice  before,  haven't  I,  Miss 
Grex,  and  some  one  told  me  that  you  were  Russian. 
I  suppose  you  are  not  in  the  least  used  to  the  free 
and  easy  ways  of  us  Westerners,  but  you'll  come  and 
have  some  tea  with  us,  won't  you  ?  " 

The  girl  hesitated.  Fate  was  too  strong  for 
her. 

"  I  shall  be  very  pleased,"  she  agreed. 

They  found  a  window  table  and  Lane  ordered  tea. 
Fedora  was  inclined  to  be  silent  at  first,  but  Lady 
Weybourne  was  quite  content  to  chatter.  By  de- 
grees Fedora,  too,  came  back  to  earth  and  they  had 
a  very  gay  little  tea-party.  At  the  end  of  it  they 
all  strolled  back  into  the  rooms  together.  Fedora 
glanced  at  the  watch  upon  her  wrist  and  held  out 
her  hand  to  Lady  Weybourne. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  she  said,  "  but  I  must  hurry  away 
now.  It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  ask  me  to  come  and 
see  you,  Lady  Weybourne.  I  shall  be  charmed." 

Richard  ignored  her  fingers. 

"  I  am  going  to  see  you  down  to  your  car,  if  I 
may,"  he  begged. 

They  left  the  room  together.  She  looked  at  him 
as  they  descended  the  stairs,  almost  tremulously. 


EXTRAORDINARY  LOVE-MAKING     269 

**  This  doesn't  mean,  you  know,"  she  said,  "  that  I 
•—  that  I  agree  to  all  you  have  been  saying." 

"  It  needn't  mean  anything  at  all,  dear,"  he  re- 
plied. "  This  is  only  the  beginning.  I  don't  expect 
you  to  realise  all  that  I  have  realised  quite  so 
quickly,  but  I  do  want  you  to  keep  it  in  your  mind 
that  this  thing  has  come  and  that  it  can't  be  got  rid 
of.  I  won't  do  anything  foolish.  If  it  is  necessary 
I  will  wait,  but  I  am  your  lover  now,  as  I  always 
must  be." 

He  handed  her  into  the  car,  the  footman,  in  his 
long  white  livery,  standing  somberly  on  one  side. 
As  they  drove  off  she  gave  him  her  fingers,  and  he 
walked  back  up  the  steps  with  the  smile  upon  his  lips 
that  comes  to  a  man  only  once  or  twice  in  his  life- 
time. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

PLA.YING    FOE    HIGH    STAKES 

Violet  glanced  at  her  watch  with  an  exclamation 
of  dismayed  annoyance.  She  leaned  appealingly  to- 
wards the  croupier. 

"  But  one  coup  more,  monsieur,"  she  pleaded. 
"  Indeed  your  clock  is  fast." 

The  croupier  shook  his  head.  He  was  a  man  of 
gallantry  «o  far  as  his  profession  permitted,  and  he 
was  a  great  admirer  of  the  beautiful  Englishwoman, 
but  the  rules  of  the  Club  were  strict. 

"  Madame,"  he  pointed  out,  "  it  is  already  five 
minutes  past  eight.  It  is  absolutely  prohibited  that 
we  start  another  coup  after  eight  o'clock.  If  ma- 
dame  will  return  at  ten  o'clock,  the  good  fortune  will 
without  doubt  be  hers." 

She  looked  up  at  Draconmeyer,  who  was  standing 
at  her  elbow. 

"  Did  you  ever  know  anything  more  hatefully  pro- 
voking !  "  she  complained.  "  For  two  hours  the  luck 
has  been  dead  against  me.  But  for  a  few  of  my 
carres  turning  up,  I  don't  know  what  would  have 
happened.  And  now  at  last  my  numbers  arrive. 
I  win  en  plein  and  with  all  the  carres  and  chevaux. 
This  time  it  was  twenty-seven.  I  win  two  carres 
and  I  move  to  twenty,  and  he  will  not  go  on." 


PLAYING  FOR  HIGH  STAKES         271 

"  It  is  the  rule,"  Draconmeyer  reminded  her.  "  It 
is  bad  fortune,  though.  I  have  been  watching  the 
run  of  the  table.  Things  have  been  coming  more 
your  way  all  the  time.  I  think  that  the  end  of  your 
ill-luck  has  arrived.  Tell  me,  are  you  hungry  ?  " 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  she  answered  pettishly.  "  I 
hate  the  very  thought  of  dinner." 

"  Then  why  do  we  not  go  on  to  the  Casino  ?  "  Dra- 
conmeyer suggested.  "  We  can  have  a  sandwich 
and  a  glass  of  wine  there,  and  you  can  continue  your 
vein." 

She  rose  to  her  feet  with  alacrity.  Her  face  was 
beaming. 

"  My  friend,"  she  exclaimed,  "  you  are  inspired ! 
It  is  a  brilliant  idea.  I  know  that  it  will  bring  me 
fortune.  To  the  Cercle  Prive,  by  all  means.  I  am 
so  glad  that  you  are  one  of  those  men  who  are  not 
dependent  upon  dinner.  But  what  about  Linda  ?  " 

"  She  is  not  expecting  me,  as  it  happens,"  Dra- 
conmeyer lied  smoothly.  "  I  told  her  that  I  might 
be  dining  at  the  Villa  Mimosa.  I  have  to  be  there 
later  on." 

Violet  gathered  up  her  money,  stuffed  it  into  her 
gold  bag  and  hurried  off  for  her  cloak.  She  reap- 
peared in  a  few  moments  and  smiled  very  graciously 
at  Draconmeyer. 

'*  It  is  quite  a  wonderful  idea  of  yours,  this,"  she 
declared.  "  I  am  looking  forward  immensely  to  my 
next  few  coups.  I  feel  in  a  winning  vein.  Very 
soon,"  she  added,  as  they  stepped  out  on  to  the  pave- 
ment and  she  gathered  up  her  skirts,  "  very  soon  I 
am  quite  sure  that  I  shall  be  asking  you  for  my 
cheques  back  again." 


272        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

He  laughed,  as  though  she  had  been  a  child  speak- 
ing of  playthings. 

"  I  am  not  sure  that  I  shall  wish  you  luck,"  he 
said.  "  I  think  that  I  like  to  feel  that  you  are  a  lit- 
tle—  just  a  very  little  in  my  debt.  Do  you  think 
that  I  should  be  a  severe  creditor?  " 

Something  in  his  voice  disturbed  her  vaguely,  but 
she  brushed  the  thought  away.  Of  course  he  ad- 
mired her,  but  then  every  woman  must  have  admirers. 
It  only  remained  for  her  to  be  clever  enough  to  keep 
him  at  arm's  length.  She  had  no  fear  for  herself. 

"  I  haven't  thought  about  the  matter  at  all,"  she 
answered  carelessly,  "  but  to  me  all  creditors  would 
be  the  same,  whether  they  were  kind  or  unkind.  I 
hate  the  feeling  of  owing  anything." 

"  It  is  a  question,"  he  observed,  "  how  far  one  can 
be  said  to  owe  anything  to  those  who  are  really 
friends.  A  husband,  for  instance.  One  can't  keep 
a  ledger  account  with  him." 

"  A  husband  is  a  different  matter  altogether,"  she 
asserted  coldly.  "  Now  I  wonder  whether  we  shall 
find  my  favourite  table  full.  Anyhow,  I  am  going 
to  play  at  the  one  nearest  the  entrance  on  the  right- 
hand  side.  There  is  a  little  croupier  there  whom  I 
like." 

They  passed  up  through  the  entrance  and  across 
the  floor  of  the  first  suite  of  rooms  to  the  Cercle 
Prive.  Violet  looked  eagerly  towards  the  table  of 
which  she  had  spoken.  To  her  joy  there  was  plenty 
of  room. 

"  My  favourite  seat  is  empty !  "  she  exclaimed. 
"  I  know  that  I  am  going  to  be  lucky." 

"  I  think  that  I  shall  play  myself,  for  a  change," 


PLAYING  FOR  HIGH  STAKES         273 

Draconmeyer  announced,  producing  a  great  roll  of 
notes. 

"  Whenever  you  feel  that  you  would  like  to  go 
down  and  have  something,  don't  mind  me,  will  you?  " 
she  begged.  "  You  can  come  back  and  talk  to 
me  at  any  time.  I  am  not  in  the  least  hungry 

yet." 

"  Very  well,"  he  agreed.     "  Good  luck  to  you !  " 

They  played  at  opposite  sides  of  the  table.  For 
an  hour  she  won  and  he  lost.  Once  she  called  him 
over  to  her  side. 

"  I  scarcely  dare  to  tell  you,"  she  whispered,  her 
eyes  gleaming,  "  but  I  have  won  back  the  first  thou- 
sand pounds.  I  shall  give  it  to  you  to-night.  Here, 
take  it  now." 

He  shook  his  head  and  waved  it  away. 

"  I  haven't  the  cheques  with  me,"  he  protested. 
"  Besides,  it  is  bad  luck  to  part  with  any  of  your 
winnings  while  you  are  still  playing." 

He  watched  her  for  a  minute  or  two.     She  still 


won. 

M 


Take  my  advice,"  he  said  earnestly.  "  Play 
higher.  You  have  had  a  most  unusual  run  of  bad 
luck.  The  tide  has  turned.  Make  the  most  of  it. 
I  have  lost  ten  mille.  I  am  going  to  have  a  try  your 
side  of  the  table." 

He  found  a  vacant  chair  a  few  places  lower  down, 
and  commenced  playing  in  maximums.  From  the 
moment  of  his  arrival  he  began  to  win,  and  simultane- 
ously Violet  began  to  lose.  Her  good-fortune  de- 
serted her  absolutely,  and  for  the  first  time  she 
showed  signs  of  losing  her  self-control.  She  gave 
vent  to  little  exclamations  of  disgust  as  stake  after 


274        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

stake  was  swept  away.  Her  eyes  were  much  too 
bright,  there  was  a  spot  of  colour  in  her  cheeks.  She 
spoke  angrily  to  a  croupier  who  delayed  handing  her 
some  change.  Draconmeyer,  although  he  knew  per- 
fectly well  what  was  happening,  never  seemed  to 
glance  in  her  direction.  He  played  with  absolute 
recklessness  for  half-an-hour.  When  at  last  he  rose 
from  his  seat  and  joined  her,  his  hands  were  full  of 
notes.  He  smiled  ever  so  faintly  as  he  saw  the 
covetous  gleam  in  her  eyes. 

"  I'm  nearly  broken,"  she  gasped.  "  Leave  off 
playing,  please,  for  a  little  time.  "  You've  changed 
my  luck." 

He  obeyed,  standing  behind  her  chair.  Three 
more  coups  she  played  and  lost.  Then  she  thrust 
her  hand  into  her  bag  and  drew  it  out,  empty.  She 
was  suddenly  pale. 

"  I  have  lost  my  last  louis,"  she  declared.  "  I 
don't  understand  it.  It  seemed  as  though  I  must 
win  here." 

"  So  you  will  in  time,"  he  assured  her  confidently. 
"  How  much  will  you  have  —  ten  mille  or  twenty  ?  " 

She  shrank  back,  but  the  sight  of  the  notes  in  his 
hand  fascinated  her.  She  glanced  up  at  him.  His 
pallor  was  unchanged,  there  was  no  sign  of  exulta- 
tion in  his  face.  Only  his  eyes  seemed  a  little 
brighter  than  usual  beneath  his  gold-rimmed  spec- 
tacles. 

"  No,  give  me  ten,"  she  said. 

She  took  them  from  his  hand  and  changed  them 
quickly  into  plaques.  Her  first  coup  was  partially 
successful.  He  leaned  closer  over  her. 

"  Remember,"  he   pointed   out,   "  that   you   only 


PLAYING  FOR  HIGH  STAKES         275 

need  to  win  once  in  a  dozen  times  and  you  do  well. 
Don't  be  in  such  a  hurry." 

"  Of  course,"  she  murmured.  "  Of  course !  One 
forgets  that.  It  is  all  a  matter  of  capital." 

He  strolled  away  to  another  table.  Wihen  he 
came  back,  she  was  sitting  idle  in  her  place,  restless 
and  excited,  but  still  full  of  confidence. 

"  I  am  a  little  to  the  good,"  she  told  him,  "  but  I 
have  left  off  for  a  few  minutes.  The  very  low  num- 
bers are  turning  up  and  they  are  no  use  to  me." 

"  Come  and  have  that  sandwich,"  he  begged. 
"  You  really  ought  to  take  something." 

"  The  place  shall  be  kept  for  madame,"  the  crou- 
pier whispered.  "  I  shall  be  here  for  another  two 
hours." 

She  nodded  and  rose.  They  made  their  way  out 
of  the  Rooms  and  down  into  the  restaurant  on  the 
ground-floor.  They  found  a  little  table  near  the 
wall  and  he  ordered  some  pate  sandwiches  and  cham- 
pagne. Whilst  they  waited  she  counted  up  her 
money,  making  calculations  on  a  slip  of  paper.  Dra- 
conmeyer  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  watching  her. 
His  back  was  towards  the  door  and  they  were  at 
the  end  table.  He  permitted  himself  the  luxury  of 
looking  at  her  almost  greedily ;  of  dropping,  for  a 
few  moments,  the  mask  which  he  placed  always  upon 
his  features  in  her  presence.  In  his  way  the  man 
was  an  artist,  a  great  collector  of  pictures  and 
bronzes,  a  real  lover  and  seeker  after  perfection. 
Often  he  found  himself  wandering  towards  his  little 
gallery,  content  to  stand  about  and  gloat  over  some 
of  his  most  treasured  possessions.  Yet  the  man's 
personality  clashed  often  with  his  artistic  preten- 


276        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

sions.  He  scarcely  ever  found  himself  amongst  his 
belongings  without  realising  the  existence  of  a  curi- 
ous feeling,  wholly  removed  from  the  pure  artistic 
pleasure  of  their  contemplation.  It  was  the  sense 
of  ownership  which  thrilled  him.  Something  of  the 
same  sensation  was  upon  him  now.  She  was  the  sort 
of  woman  he  had  craved  for  always  —  slim,  elegant, 
and  what  to  him,  with  his  quick  powers  of  observa- 
tion, counted  for  so  much,  she  was  modish,  reflecting 
in  her  presence,  her  dress  and  carriage,  even  her 
speech,  the  best  type  of  the  prevailing  fashion.  She 
excited  comment  wherever  she  appeared.  People,  as 
he  knew  very  well  even  now,  were  envying  him  his 
companion.  And  beneath  it  all  —  she,  the  woman, 
was  there.  All  his  life  he  had  fought  for  the  big 
things  —  political  power,  immense  wealth,  the  confi- 
dence of  his  great  master  —  all  these  had  come  to  him 
easily.  And  at  that  moment  they  were  like  bau- 
bles! 

She  looked  up  at  last  and  there  was  a  slight  frown 
upon  her  forehead. 

"  I  am  still  a  little  down,  starting  from  where  I 
had  the  ten  mille,"  she  sighed.  "  I  thought  — " 

She  stopped  short.  There  was  a  curious  change 
in  her  face.  Her  eyes  were  fixed  upon  some  person 
approaching.  Draconmeyer  turned  quickly  in  his 
chair.  Almost  as  he  did  so,  Hunterleys  paused  be- 
fore their  table.  Violet  looked  up  at  him  with  quiv- 
ering lips.  For  a  moment  it  seemed  as  though  she 
were  stepping  out  of  her  sordid  surroundings. 

"  Henry !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  Did  you  come  to 
look  for  me  ?  Did  you  know  that  we  were  here  ?  ** 

"How  should  I?"  he  answered  calmly.     "I  was 


PLAYING  FOR  HIGH  STAKES         277 

strolling  around  with  David  Briston.  We  are  at 
the  Opera." 

"  At  the  Opera,"  she  repeated. 

"  My  little  protegee,  Felicia  Roche,  is  singing,"  he 
went  on,  "  in  A'ida.  If  she  does  as  well  in  the  next  act 
as  she  has  done  in  this,  her  future  is  made." 

He  was  on  the  point  of  adding  the  news  of  Felicia's 
engagement  to  the  young  man  who  had  momentarily 
deserted  him.  Some  evil  chance  changed  his  inten- 
tion. 

"Why  do  you  call  her  your  little  protegee?  "  she 
demanded. 

"  It  isn't  quite  correct,  is  it  ?  "  he  answered,  a  lit- 
tle absently.  "  There  are  three  or  four  of  us  who 
are  doing  what  we  can  to  look  after  her.  Her  fa- 
ther was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Wigwam  Club. 
The  girl  won  the  musical  scholarship  we  have  there. 
She  has  more  than  repaid  us  for  our  trouble,  I  am 
glad  to  say." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  that  she  has,"  Violet  replied, 
lifting  her  eyes. 

There  was  a  moment's  silence.  The  signifi- 
cance of  her  words  was  entirely  lost  upon  Hunter- 
leys. 

"  Isn't  this  rather  a  new  departure  of  yours  ?  " 
he  asked,  glancing  disdainfully  towards  Draconmeyer. 
"  I  thought  that  you  so  much  preferred  to  play  at 
the  Club." 

"  So  I  do,"  she  assented,  "  but  I  was  just  begin- 
ning to  win  when  the  Club  closed  at  eight  o'clock, 
and  so  we  came  on  here." 

"  Your  good  fortune  continues,  I  hope?  " 

"  It  varies,"  she  answered  hurriedly,  "  but  it  will 


278        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

come,  I  am  sure.  I  have  been  very  near  a  big  win 
more  than  once." 

He  seemed  on  the  point  of  departure.  She  leaned 
a  little  forward. 

"  You  had  my  note,  Henry?  " 

Her  tone  was  almost  beseeching.  Draconmeyer, 
who  was  listening  with  stony  face,  shivered  imper- 
ceptibly. 

"  Thank  you,  yes,"  Hunterleys  replied,  frowning 
slightly.  "  I  am  sorry,  but  I  am  not  at  liberty  to 
do  what  you  suggest  just  at  present.  I  wish  you 
good  fortune." 

He  turned  around  and  walked  back  to  the  other 
end  of  the  room,  where  Briston  was  standing  at  the 
bar.  She  looked  after  him  for  a  moment  as  though 
she  failed  to  understand  his  words.  Then  her  face 
hardened.  Draconmeyer  leaned  towards  her. 

"  Shall  we  go?  "  he  suggested. 

She  rose  with  alacrity.  Side  by  side  they  strolled 
through  the  rooms  towards  the  Cercle  Prive. 

"  I  am  sorry,"  Draconmeyer  said  regretfully,  "  but 
I  am  forced  to  leave  you  now.  I  will  take  you  back 
to  your  place  and  after  that  I  must  go  to  the  hotel 
and  change.  I  have  a  reception  to  attend.  I  wish 
you  would  take  the  rest  of  my  winnings  and  see  what 
you  can  do  with  them." 

She  shook  her  head  vigorously. 

"  No,  thank  you,"  she  declared.  "  I  have 
enough." 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  I  have  twenty-five  mille  here  in  my  pocket,"  he 
continued,  "  besides  some  smaller  change.  I  don't 
think  it  is  quite  fair  to  leave  so  much  money  about 


PLAYING  FOR  HIGH  STAKES         ay§ 

in  one's  room  or  to  carry  it  out  into  the  country. 
Keep  it  for  me.  You  won't  need  to  play  with  it  — 
I  can  see  that  your  luck  is  in  —  but  it  always  gives 
one  confidence  to  feel  that  one  has  a  reserve  stock, 
something  to  fall  back  upon  if  necessary." 

He  drew  the  notes  from  his  pocket  and  held  them 
towards  her.  Her  eyes  were  fixed  upon  them  covet- 
ously. The  thought  of  all  that  money  actually  in 
her  possession  was  wildly  exhilarating. 

"  I  will  take  care  of  them  for  you,  if  you  like,"  she 
said.  "  I  shall  not  play  with  them,  though.  I  owe 
you  quite  enough  already  and  my  losing  days  are 
over." 

He  stuffed  the  notes  carelessly  into  her  bag. 

"  Twenty-five  mille,"  he  told  her.  "  Remember 
my  advice.  If  the  luck  stays  with  you,  stake  max- 
imums.  Go  for  the  big  things." 

She  looked  at  him  curiously  as  she  closed  her  gold 
bag  with  a  snap. 

"  After  all,"  she  declared,  with  a  little  laugh,  "  I 
am  not  sure  that  you  are  not  the  greater  gambler  of 
the  two  to  trust  me  with  all  this  money !  " 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

TO   THE   VILLA   MIMOSA 

With  feet  that  seemed  to  touch  nothing  more  sub- 
stantial than  air,  her  eyes  brilliant,  a  wonderful  col- 
our in  her  cheeks,  Violet  passed  through  the  heavy, 
dingy  rooms  and  out  through  the  motley  crowd  into 
the  portico  of  the  Casino.  She  was  right!  She 
knew  that  she  had  been  right!  How  wise  she  had 
been  to  borrow  that  money  from  Mr.  Draconmeyer 
instead  of  sitting  down  and  confessing  herself  van- 
quished! The  last  few  hours  had  been  hours  of  ec- 
static happiness.  With  calm  confidence  she  had  sat 
in  her  place  and  watched  her  numbers  coming  up 
with  marvellous  persistence.  It  was  the  most  won- 
derful thing  in  the  world,  this.  She  had  had  no  time 
to  count  her  winnings,  but  at  least  she  knew  that  she 
could  pay  back  every  penny  she  owed.  Her  little 
gold  satchel  was  stuffed  with  notes  and  plaques. 
She  felt  suddenly  younger,  curiously  lighthearted ; 
hungry,  too,  and  thirsty.  She  was,  in  short,  experi- 
encing almost  a  delirium  of  pleasure.  And  just  then, 
on  the  steps  of  the  Casino,  she  came  face  to  face 
with  her  husband. 

"  Henry !  "  she  called  out.     "  Henry !  " 
He    turned    abruptly    around.     He    was    looking 
troubled,  and  in  his  hand  were  the  fragments  of  a 
crushed  up  note. 


TO  THE  VILLA  MIMOSA  281 

"  Come  across  to  the  hotel  with  me,"  she  begged, 
forgetful  of  everything  except  her  own  immense  re- 
lief. "  Come  and  help  me  count.  I  have  been  win- 
ning. I  have  won  back  everything." 

He  accepted  the  information  with  only  a  polite 
show  of  interest.  After  all,  as  she  reflected  after- 
wards, he  had  no  idea  upon  what  scale  she  had  been 
gambling ! 

"  I  am  delighted  to  hear  it,"  he  answered.  "  I'll 
see  you  across  the  road,  if  I  may,  but  I  have  only  a 
few  minutes  to  spare.  I  have  an  appointment." 

She  was  acutely  disappointed;  unreasonably,  furi- 
ously angry. 

*'  An  appointment !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  At  half- 
past  eleven  o'clock  at  night!  Are  you  waiting  for 
Felicia  Roche?" 

"  Is  there  any  reason  why  I  should  not  ?  "  he  asked 
her  gravely. 

She  bit  her  lips  hard.  They  were  crossing  the 
road  now.  After  all,  it  was  only  a  few  months  since 
she  had  bidden  him  go  his  own  way  and  leave  her  to 
regulate  her  own  friendships. 

"  No  reason  at  all,"  she  admitted,  "  only  I  cannot 
see  why  you  choose  to  advertise  yourself  with  an 
opera  singer  —  you,  an  ambitious  politician,  who 
moves  with  his  head  in  the  clouds,  and  to  whom  women 
are  no  more  than  a  pastime.  Why  have  you  waited 
all  these  years  to  commence  a  flirtation  under  my 
very  nose ! " 

He  looked  at  her  sternly. 

**  I  think  that  you  are  a  little  excited,  Violet,"  he 
said.  "  You  surely  don't  realise  what  you  are  say- 
ing." 


a82        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Excited !  Tell  me  once  more  —  you  got  mjt 
note,  the  one  I  wrote  this  evening?  " 

"  Certainly." 

His  brief  reply  was  convincing.  She  remembered 
the  few  impulsive  lines  which  she  had  written  from 
her  heart  in  that  moment  of  glad  relief.  There  was 
no  sign  in  his  face  that  he  had  been  touched.  Even 
at  that  moment  he  had  drawn  out  his  watch  and  was 
looking  at  it. 

"  Thank  you  for  bringing  me  here,"  she  said,  as 
they  stood  upon  the  steps  of  the  hotel.  "  Don't  let 
me  keep  you." 

"  After  all,"  he  decided,  "  I  think  that  I  shaU  go 
up  to  my  room  for  a  minute.  Good  night !  " 

She  looked  after  him,  a  little  amazed.  She  was 
conscious  of  a  feeling  of  slow  anger.  His  aloofness 
repelled  her,  was  utterly  inexplicable.  For  once  it 
was  she  who  was  being  badly  treated.  Her  moment 
of  exhilaration  had  passed.  She  sat  down  in  the 
lounge;  her  satchel,  filled  with  mille  franc  notes,  lay 
upon  her  lap  unheeded.  She  sat  there  thinking,  see- 
ing nothing  of  the  crowds  of  fashionably  dressed 
women  and  men  passing  in  and  out  of  the  hotel; 
of  the  gaily-lit  square  outside,  the  cool  green  of  the 
gardens,  the  cafe  opposite,  the  brilliantly-lit  Ca- 
sino. She  was  back  again  for  a  moment  in  Eng- 
land. The  strain  of  all  this  life,  whipped  into  an 
artificial  froth  of  pleasure  by  the  constant  excite- 
ment of  the  one  accepted  vice  of  the  world,  had 
suddenly  lost  its  hold  upon  her.  The  inevitable  ques- 
tion had  presented  itself.  She  was  counting  values 
and  realising.  .  .  . 

When  at  last  she  rose  wearily  to  her  feet,  Hunter- 


TO  THE  VILLA  MIMOSA  283 

leys  was  passing  through  the  hall  of  the  hotel,  on 
his  way  out.  She  looked  at  him  with  aching  heart 
but  she  made  no  effort  to  stop  him.  He  had  changed 
his  clothes  for  a  dark  suit  and  he  was  also  wearing 
a  long  travelling  coat  and  tweed  cap.  She  watched 
him  wistfully  until  he  had  disappeared.  Then  she 
turned  away,  summoned  the  lift  and  went  up  to  her 
rooms.  She  rang  at  once  for  her  maid.  She  would 
take  a  bath,  she  decided,  and  go  to  bed  early.  She 
would  wash  all  the  dust  of  these  places  away  from 
her,  abjure  all  manner  of  excitement  and  for  once 
sleep  peacefully.  In  the  morning  she  would  see 
Henry  once  more.  Deep  in  her  heart  there  still 
lingered  some  faint  shadow  of  doubt  as  to  Dracon- 
meyer  and  his  attitude  towards  her.  It  was  scarcely 
possible  that  he  could  have  interfered  in  any  way, 
and  yet.  .  .  .  She  would  talk  to  her  husband  face  to 
face,  she  would  tell  him  the  things  that  were  in  her 
heart. 

She  rang  the  bell  for  the  second  time.  Only  the 
femme  de  chambre  answered  the  summons.  Madame's 
maid  was  not  to  be  found.  Madame  had  not  once 
retired  so  early.  It  was  possible  that  Susanne  had 
gone  out.  Could  she  be  of  any  service?  Violet 
looked  at  her  and  hesitated.  The  woman  was 
clumsy-fingered  and  none  too  tidy.  She  shook  her 
head  and  sent  her  away.  For  a  moment  she  thought 
of  undressing  herself.  Then  instead  she  opened  her 
satchel  and  counted  the  notes.  Her  breath  came 
more  quickly  as  she  looked  at  the  shower  of  gold 
and  counted  the  many  oblong  strips  of  paper  with 
their  magic  lettering.  At  last  she  had  it  all  in 
heaps.  There  were  the  twenty-five  mille  he  had  left 


284        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

with  her,  and  the  seventy-five  mille  she  had  borrowed 
from  him.  Then  towards  her  own  losses  there  was 
another  mille,  and  a  matter  of  five  hundred  francs 
in  gold.  And  all  this  success,  her  wonderful  recov- 
ery, had  been  done  so  easily!  It  was  just  because 
she  had  had  the  pluck  to  go  on,  because  she  had  fol- 
lowed her  vein.  She  looked  at  the  money  and  she 
walked  to  the  window.  Somewhere  a  band  was  play- 
ing in  the  distance.  Little  parties  of  men  and  women 
in  evening  dress  were  strolling  by  on  their  way  to 
the  Club.  A  woman  was  laughing  as  she  clung  to 
her  escort  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road,  by  the 
gardens.  Across  at  the  Cafe  de  Paris  the  people 
were  going  in  to  supper.  The  spirit  of  enjoyment 
seemed  to  be  in  the  air  —  the  light-hearted,  fasci- 
nating, devil-may-care  atmosphere  she  knew  so  well. 
Violet  looked  back  into  the  bedroom  and  she  no  longer 
had  the  impulse  to  sleep.  Her  face  had  hardened 
a  little.  Every  one  was  so  happy  and  she  was  so 
lonely.  She  stuffed  the  notes  and  gold  back  into 
her  bag,  looked  at  her  hat  in  the  glass  and  touched 
her  face  for  a  moment  with  a  powder-puff.  Then 
she  left  the  room,  rang  for  the  lift  and  descended. 

"  I  am  going  into  the  Club  for  an  hour  or  so,  if 
I  am  wanted,"  she  told  the  concierge  as  she  passed 
out. 

Hunterleys,  on  leaving  the  hotel,  walked  rapidly 
across  the  square  and  found  David  waiting  for  him 
on  the  opposite  side. 

**  Felicia  will  be  late,"  the  latter  explained.  "  She 
has  to  get  all  that  beastly  black  stuff  off  her  face. 
She  is  horribly  nervous  about  Sidney  and  she  doesn't 


TO  THE  VILLA  MIMOSA  283 

want  you  to  wait.  I  think  perhaps  she  is  right,  too. 
She  told  me  to  tell  you  that  Monsieur  Lafont  him- 
self came  to  her  room  and  congratulated  her  after 
the  curtain  had  gone  down.  She  is  almost  hysterical 
between  happiness  and  anxiety  about  Sidney. 
Where's  your  man?  " 

"  I  asked  him  to  be  a  little  higher  up,"  Hunterleys 
replied.  "  There  he  is." 

They  walked  a  few  steps  up  the  hill  and  found 
Richard  Lane  waiting  for  them  in  his  car.  The 
long,  grey  racer  looked  almost  like  some  submarine 
monster,  with  its  flaring  head-lights  and  torpedo- 
shaped  body  which  scarcely  cleared  the  ground. 

"  Ready  for  orders,  sir,"  the  young  man  an- 
nouced,  touching  his  cap. 

"  Is  there  room  for  three  of  us,  in  case  of  an  emer- 
gency ?  "  Hunterleys  asked. 

"  The  third  man  has  to  sit  on  the  floor,"  Richard 
pointed  out,  "  but  it  isn't  so  comfortable  as  it  looks." 

Hunterleys  clambered  in  and  took  the  vacant  place. 
David  Briston  lingered  by  a  little  wistfully. 

"  I  feel  rather  a  skunk,"  he  grumbled.  "  I  don't 
see  why  I  shouldn't  come  along." 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head. 

"  There  isn't  the  slightest  need  for  it,"  he  declared 
firmly.  "  You  go  back  and  look  after  Felicia.  Tell 
her  we'll  get  Sidney  out  of  this  all  right.  Get  away 
with  you,  Lane,  now." 

"Where  to?" 

"  To  the  Villa  Mimosa !  " 

Richard  whistled  as  he  thrust  in  his  clutch. 

'*  So  that's  the  game,  is  it  ?  "  he  murmured,  as  they 
glided  off. 


a86        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Hunterleys  leaned  towards  him. 

"  Lane,"  he  said,  "  don't  forget  that  I  warned  you 
there  might  be  a  little  trouble  about  to-night.  If 
you  feel  the  slightest  hesitation  about  involving  your- 
self—" 

"  Shut  up ! "  Richard  interrupted.  "  Whatever 
trouble  you're  ready  to  face,  I'm  all  for  it,  too. 
Darned  queer  thing  that  we  should  be  going  to  the 
Villa  Mimosa,  though!  I  am  not  exactly  a  popular 
person  with  Mr.  Grex,  I  think." 

Hunterleys  smiled. 

"  I  saw  your  sister  this  afternoon,"  he  remarked. 
"  You  are  rather  a  wonderful  young  man." 

"  I  knew  it  was  all  up  with  me,"  Richard  replied 
simply,  "  when  I  first  saw  that  girl.  Now  look  here, 
Hunterleys,  we  are  almost  there.  Tell  me  exactly 
what  it  is  you  want  me  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  want  you,"  Hunterleys  explained,  "  to  risk  a 
smash,  if  you  don't  mind.  I  want  you  to  run  up  to 
the  boundaries  of  the  villa  gardens,  head  your  car 
back  for  Monte  Carlo,  and  while  you  are  waiting  there 
turn  out  all  your  lights." 

"  That's  easy  enough,"  Richard  assented.  "  I'll 
turn  out  the  search-light  altogether,  and  my  others 
are  electric,  worked  by  a  button.  Is  this  an  elope- 
ment act  or  what?  " 

"  There's  a  meeting  going  on  in  that  villa,"  Hun- 
terleys told  him,  "  between  prominent  politicians  of 
three  countries.  You  don't  have  to  bother  much 
about  Secret  Service  over  in  the  States,  although 
there's  more  goes  on  than  you  know  of  in  that  direc- 
tion. But  over  here  we  have  to  make  regular  use 
of  Secret  Service  men  —  spies,  if  you  like  to  call 


TO  THE  VILLA  MIMOSA  287 

them  so.  The  meeting  to-night  is  inimical  to  Eng- 
land. It  is  part  of  a  conspiracy  against  which  I 
am  working.  Sidney  Roche  —  Felicia  Roche's 
brother  —  who  lives  here  as  a  newspaper  correspon- 
dent, is  in  reality  one  of  our  best  Secret  Service  men. 
He  is  taking  terrible  chances  to-night  to  learn  a  little 
more  about  the  plans  which  these  fellows  are  dis- 
cussing. We  are  here  in  case  he  needs  our  help  to  get 
away.  We've  cleared  the  shrubs  away,  close  to  the 
spot  at  which  I  am  going  to  ask  you  to  wait,  and 
taken  the  spikes  off  the  fence.  It's  just  a  thousand 
to  one  chance  that  if  he's  hard  pressed  for  it  and 
heads  this  way,  they  may  think  that  they  have  him 
in  a  trap  and  take  it  quietly.  That  is  to  say,  they'll 
wait  to  capture  him  instead  of  shooting." 

"  Say,  you  don't  mean  this  seriously  ?  "  Richard 
exclaimed.  "  They  can't  do  more  than  arrest  him 
as  a  trespasser,  or  something  of  that  sort,  surely?  " 

Hunterleys  laughed  grimly. 

"  These  men  wouldn't  stick  at  much,"  he  told  his 
companion.  "  They're  hand  in  glove  with  the  au- 
thorities here.  Anything  they  did  would  be  hushed 
up  in  the  name  of  the  law.  These  things  are  never 
allowed  to  come  out.  It  doesn't  do  any  one  any  good 
to  have  them  gossiped  about.  If  they  caught  Sidney 
and  shot  him,  we  should  never  make  a  protest.  It's 
all  part  of  the  game,  you  know.  Now  that  is  the 
spot  I  want  you  to  stop  at,  exactly  where  the  mimosa 
tree  leans  over  the  path.  But  first  of  all,  I'd  turn 
out  your  head-light." 

They  slowed  down  and  stopped.  Richard  extin- 
guished the  acetylene  gas-lamp  and  mounted  again 
to  his  place.  Then  he  swung  the  car  round  aad 


288        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

crawled  back  upon  the  reverse  until  he  reached  the 
spot  to  which  Hunterleys  had  pointed. 

"  You're  a  good  fellow,  Richard,"  Hunterleys  said 
softly.  "  We  may  have  to  wait  an  hour  or  two,  and 
it  may  be  that  nothing  will  happen,  but  it's  giving 
the  fellow  a  chance,  and  it  gives  him  confidence,  too, 
to  know  that  friends  are  at  hand." 

"  I'm  in  the  game  for  all  it's  worth,  anyway,"  Lane 
declared  heartily. 

He  touched  a  button  and  the  lights  faded  away. 
The  two  men  sat  in  silence,  both  turned  a  little  in 
their  seats  towards  the  villa. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

FOR    HIS    COUNTRY 

The  minutes  glided  by  as  the  two  men  sat  together 
in  the  perfumed,  shadowy  darkness.  From  their 
feet  the  glittering  canopy  of  lights  swept  upwards 
to  the  mountain-sides,  even  to  the  stars,  but  a  chain 
of  slowly  drifting  black  clouds  hung  down  in  front 
of  the  moon,  and  until  their  eyes  became  accustomed 
to  their  surroundings  it  seemed  to  both  of  them  as 
though  they  were  sitting  in  a  very  pit  of  darkness. 

"  It  is  possible,"  Hunterleys  whispered,  after  some 
time,  "  that  we  may  have  to  wait  for  another  hour 
yet." 

Richard  was  suddenly  tense.  He  sat  up,  and  his 
foot  reached  for  the  self-starter. 

"  I  don't  think  you  will/'  he  muttered.  "  Lis- 
ten!" 

Almost  immediately  they  were  conscious  of  some 
commotion  in  the  direction  of  the  villa,  followed  by  a 
shot  and  then  a  cry. 

"  Start  the  engine,"  Hunterleys  directed  hoarsely, 
standing  up  in  his  place.  "  I'm  afraid  they've  got 
him." 

There  were  two  more  shots  but  no  further  cry. 
Then  they  heard  the  sound  of  excited  voices  and 
immediately  afterwards  rapidly  approaching  foot- 
steps. A  man  came  crashing  through  the  shrub- 


ago        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

bery,  but  when  he  reached  the  fence  over  which,  for 
a  moment,  his  white  face  gleamed,  he  sank  down  as 
though  powerless  to  climb.  Hunterleys  leapt  to  the 
ground  and  rushed  to  the  fence. 

"  Hold  up,  Sidney,  old  fellow,"  he  called  softly. 
"  We're  here  all  right.  Hold  up  for  a  moment  and 
let  me  lift  you." 

Roche  struggled  to  his  feet.  His  face  was  ghastly 
white,  the  sweat  stood  out  upon  his  forehead,  his 
lips  moved  but  no  words  came.  Hunterleys  got  him 
by  the  arms,  set  his  teeth  and  lifted.  The  task  would 
have  been  too  much  for  him,  but  Richard,  springing 
from  the  car,  came  to  his  help.  With  an  effort  they 
hoisted  him  over  the  fence.  Almost  as  they  did  so 
there  was  the  sound  of  footsteps  dashing  through 
the  shrubs,  and  a  shot,  the  bullet  of  which  tore  the 
bark  from  the  trunk  of  a  tree  close  at  hand.  The 
car  leapt  off  in  fourth  speed,  Sidney  supported  in 
Hunterleys'  arms.  A  loud  shout  from  behind  only 
brought  Richard's  foot  down  upon  the  accelerator. 

"Stoop  low!"  he  cried  to  Hunterleys.  "Get 
your  legs  in,  if  you  can." 

A  bullet  struck  the  back  of  the  car  and  another 
whistled  over  their  heads.  Then  they  dashed  around 
the  corner,  and  Richard,  turning  on  the  lights, 
jammed  down  his  accelerator. 

*'•  Gee  whiz !  that's  a  bloodthirsty  crew ! "  the 
young  man  exclaimed,  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  road. 
"Is  he  hurt?" 

Roche  was  lying  back  on  the  seat.  Hunterleys 
was  on  his  knees,  holding  on  to  the  framework  of  the 
car. 

"They've  got  me  all  right,  Hunterleys,"  Roche 


FOR  HIS  COUNTRY  291 

faltered.  "  Listen.  Everything  went  well  with  me 
at  first.  I  could  hear  —  nearly  everything.  The 
Frenchman  kept  his  mouth  shut  —  tight  as  wax. 
Grex  did  most  of  the  talking.  Russia  sees  nothing 
in  the  entente  —  England  has  nothing  to  offer  her. 
She'd  rather  keep  friends  with  Germany.  Russia 
wants  to  move  eastward  —  all  Persia  —  India.  She's 
only  lukewarm,  any  way,  about  the  French  alliance 
as  things  stand  at  present,  and  dead  off  any  truck 
with  England.  There's  talk  of  Constantinople,  and 
Germany  to  march  three  army  corps  through  a  weak 
French  resistance  to  Calais.  They  talked  of  France 
acting  to  her  pledges,  putting  her  recruits  in  the 
front,  taking  a  slight  defeat,  making  a  peace  on  her 
own  account,  with  Alsace  and  Lorraine  restored. 
She  can  pay.  Germany  wants  the  money.  Germany 
—  Germany  — " 

The  words  died  away  in  a  little  groan.  The 
wounded  man's  head  fell  back.  Hunterleys  passed 
his  arm  around  the  limp  figure. 

"  Take  the  first  turn  to  the  right  and  second  to 
the  left,  Richard,"  he  directed.  "We'll  drive 
straight  to  the  hospital.  I  made  friends  with  the 
English  doctor  last  night.  He  promised  to  be  there 
till  three.  I  paid  him  a  fee  on  purpose." 

"  First  to  the  right,"  Richard  muttered,  swinging 
around.  "  Second  to  the  left,  eh?  " 

Hunterleys  was  holding  his  brandy  flask  to  Roche's 
lips  as  they  swung  through  the  white  gates  and  pulled 
up  outside  the  hospital.  The  doctor  was  faithful  to 
his  promise,  and  Roche,  who  was  now  unconscious, 
was  carried  in.  In  the  hall  he  was  laid  upon  an  am- 
bulance and  borne  off  by  two  attendants.  Hunter- 


292        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

leys  and  Lane  sat  down  to  wait  in  the  hall.  Aftei 
what  seemed  to  them  an  interminable  half-hour, 
the  doctor  reappeared.  He  came  over  to  them  at 
once. 

"  Your  friend  may  live,"  he  announced,  "  but  in 
any  case  he  will  be  unconscious  for  the  next  twenty- 
four  hours.  There  is  no  need  for  you  to  stay,  or 
for  you  to  fetch  the  young  lady  you  spoke  of,  at 
present.  If  he  dies,  he  will  die  unconscious.  I  can 
tell  you  nothing  more  until  the  afternoon." 

Hunterleys  rose  slowly  to  his  feet. 

"  You'll  do  everything  you  can,  doctor  ? "  he 
begged.  "  Money  doesn't  count." 

"  Money  never  counts  here,"  the  doctor  replied 
gravely.  "  We  shall  save  him  if  it  is  possible. 
You've  nothing  to  tell  me,  I  suppose,  as  to  how  he 
met  with  his  wound?  " 

"  Nothing." 

They  walked  out  together  into  the  night.  The 
bank  of  clouds  had  drifted  away  now  and  the  moon 
was  shining.  Below  them,  barely  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
away,  they  could  see  the  flare  of  lights  from  the 
Casino.  A  woman  was  laughing  hysterically  through 
the  open  windows  of  a  house  on  the  other  side  of  tht 
way.  Some  one  was  playing  a  violin  in  a  cafe  at  the 
corner  of  the  street. 

"  Richard,"  Hunterleys  said,  "  will  you  see  me 
through?  I  have  to  get  to  Cannes  as  fast  as  I  can 
to  send  a  cable.  I  daren't  send  it  from  here,  even  in 
code." 

"  I'll  drive  you  to  Cannes  like  a  shot,"  Richard 
assented  heartily.  "  Just  a  brandy  and  soda  on  our 
way  out,  and  I'll  show  you  some  pretty  driving." 


FOR  HIS  COUNTRY  295 

They  stopped  at  the  Cafe  de  Paris  and  left  the 
car  under  the  trees.  Both  men  took  a  long  drink 
and  Richard  filled  his  pocket  with  cigarettes.  Then 
they  re-entered  the  car,  lit  up,  and  glided  off  on  the 
road  for  Cannes.  Richard  had  become  more  serious. 
His  boyish  manner  and  appearance  had  temporarily 
gone.  He  drove,  even,  with  less  than  his  usual  reck- 
lessness. 

"  That  was  a  fine  fellow,"  he  remarked  enthusias- 
tically, after  a  long  pause,  "  that  fellow  Roche !  " 

"  And  we've  many  more  like  him,"  Hunterleys  de- 
clared. "  We've  men  in  every  part  of  the  world 
doing  what  seems  like  dirty  work,  ill-paid  work,  too, 
doing  it  partly,  perhaps,  because  the  excitement 
grows  on  them  and  they  love  it,  but  always  they  have 
to  start  in  cold  blood.  The  papers  don't  always  tell 
the  truth,  you  know.  There's  many  a  death  in 
foreign  cities  you  read  of  as  a  suicide,  or  the  re- 
sult of  an  accident,  when  it's  really  the  sacrifice 
of  a  hero  for  his  country.  It's  great  work,  Rich- 
ard." 

"  Makes  me  feel  kind  of  ashamed,"  Richard  mut~ 
tered.  "  I've  never  done  anything  but  play  around 
all  my  life.  Anyway,  those  sort  of  things  don't  come 
to  us  in  our  country.  America's  too  powerful  and 
too  isolated  to  need  help  of  that  description.  We 
shouldn't  have  any  use  for  politicians  of  your  class, 
or  for  Secret  Service  men." 

"  If  you're  in  earnest,"  Hunterleys  advised,  "  you 
go  to  Washington  and  ask  them  about  it  some  day. 
The  time's  coming,  if  it  hasn't  already  arrived,  when 
your  country  will  have  to  develop  a  different  class 
of  politicians.  You  see,  whether  she  wants  it  or  not, 


994        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

she  is  coming  into  touch,  through  Asia  and  South 
America,  with  European  interests,  and  if  she  does, 
she'll  have  to  adopt  their  methods  more  or  less.  Poor 
old  Roche !  There  was  something  more  he  wanted  to 
say,  and  if  it's  what  I've  been  expecting,  your  country 
was  in  it." 

"  I  guess  I'll  take  Fedora  over  for  our  honeymoon," 
Richard  decided  softly.  "  Don't  see  why  I  shouldn't 
come  into  one  of  the  Embassies.  I'm  a  bit  of  a  hulk 
to  go  about  the  world  doing  nothing." 

Hunterleys  laughed  quietly. 

"  My  young  friend,"  he  said,  "  aren't  you  taking 
your  marriage  prospects  a  little  for  granted?  May 
I  be  there  when  you  ask  Augustus  Nicholas  Ivan 
Peter,  Grand  Duke  of  Vassura,  Prince  of  Melinkoff, 
cousin  of  His  Imperial  Majesty  the  Czar,  for  the 
hand  of  his  daughter  in  marriage !  " 

"So  that's  it,  is  it?"  Lane  murmured.  "Why 
didn't  you  tell  me  before?  " 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head.  He  gazed  steadfastly 
along  the  road  in  front  of  him. 

"  It  wasn't  to  my  interest  to  have  it  known  too  gen- 
erally," he  said,  "  and  I  am  afraid  your  little  love 
affair  didn't  strike  me  as  being  of  much  importance 
by  the  side  of  the  other  things.  But  you've  earned 
the  truth,  if  it's  any  use  to  you." 

"  Well,"  Richard  observed,  "  I  wasn't  counting  on 
having  any  witnesses,  but  you  can  come  along  if  you 
like.  I  suppose,"  he  added,  "  I  shall  have  to  do  him 
the  courtesy  of  asking  his  permission,  but  — " 

"  But  what  ?  "  Hunterleys  asked  curiously. 

They  were  on  a  long  stretch  of  straight,  white 
road.  Richard  looked  for  a  moment  up  to  the  sky, 


FOR  HIS  COUNTRY  295 

and  Hunterleys,  watching  him,  was  amazed  at  the 
transformation. 

"  There  isn't  a  Grand  Duke  or  a  Prince  or  an  Im- 
perial Majesty  alive,"  he  said,  "  who  could  rob  me 
of  Fedora!" 


CHAPTER  XXX 

**  SUPPOSING   I    TAKE    THIS    MONEY  " 

There  was  a  momentary  commotion  in  the  Club. 
A  woman  had  fainted  at  one  of  the  roulette  tables. 
Her  chair  was  quickly  drawn  back.  She  was  helped 
out  to  the  open  space  at  the  top  of  the  stairs  and 
placed  in  an  easy-chair  there.  Lady  Weyborne,  who 
was  on  the  point  of  leaving  with  her  husband,  has- 
tened back.  She  stood  there  while  the  usual  restora- 
tives were  being  administered,  fanning  the  uncon- 
scious woman  with  a  white  ostrich  fan  which  hung 
from  her  waist.  Presently  Violet  opened  her  eyes. 
She  recognised  Lady  Weybourne  and  smiled  weakly. 

"  I  am  so  sorry,"  she  murmured.  "  It  was  silly 
of  me  to  stay  in  here  so  long.  I  went  without  my 
dinner,  too,  which  was  rather  idiotic." 

A  man  who  had  announced  himself  a  doctor,  bent 
over  her  pulse  and  turned  away. 

"  The  lady  will  be  quite  all  right  now,"  he  said. 
**  You  can  give  her  brandy  and  soda  if  she  feels  like 
it.  Pardon ! " 

He  hastened  back  to  his  place  at  the  baccarat 
table.  Lady  Hunterleys  sat  up. 

"  It  was  quite  absurd  of  me,"  she  declared.  "  I 
don't  know  what  — " 

She  stopped  suddenly.     The  weight  was  once  more 


"  SUPPOSING  I  TAKE  THIS  MONEY  "      297 

upon  her  heart,  the  blankness  before  her  eyes.     She 
remembered ! 

"  I  am  quite  able  to  go  home  now,"  she  added.' 

Her  gold  bag  lay  upon  her  lap.  It  was  almost 
empty.  She  looked  at  it  vacantly  and  then  closed 
the  snap. 

"We'll  see  you  back  to  the  hotel,"  Lady  Wey- 
bourne  said  soothingly.  "  Here  comes  Harry  with 
the  brandy  and  soda." 

Lord  Weybourne  came  hurrying  from  the  bar,  a 
tumbler  in  his  hand. 

"  How  nice  of  you !  "  Violet  exclaimed  gratefully. 
"  Really,  I  feel  that  this  is  just  what  I  need.  I  won- 
der what  time  it  is  ?  " 

"  Half  past  four,"  Lord  Weybourne  announced, 
glancing  at  his  watch. 

She  laughed  weakly. 

"  How  stupid  of  me !  I  have  been  between  here 
and  the  Casino  for  nearly  twelve  hours,  and  had 
nothing  to  eat.  No,  I  won't  have  anything  here, 
thanks,"  she  added,  as  Lord  Weybourne  started  back 
again  for  the  bar,  muttering  something  about  a  sand- 
wich. "  I'll  have  something  in  my  room.  If  you 
are  going  back  to  the  hotel,  perhaps  I  could  come 
with  you." 

They  all  three  left  the  place  together,  passing 
along  the  private  way. 

"  I  haven't  seen  your  brother  all  day,"  Violet  re- 
marked to  Lady  Weybourne. 

"  Richard's  gone  off  somewhere  in  the  car  to-night, 
a  most  mysterious  expedition,"  his  sister  declared. 
"  I  began  to  think  that  it  must  be  an  elopement,  but 
I  see  the  yacht's  there  still,  and  he  would  surely 


MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

choose  the  yacht  in  preference  to  a  motor-car,  if  he 
were  running  off  with  anybody!  Your  husband 
doesn't  come  into  the  rooms  much?  " 

Violet  shook  her  head. 

/"  He  hasn't  the  gambling  instinct,"  she  said 
quietly.  "  Perhaps  he  is  just  as  well  without  it. 
One  gets  a  lot  of  amusement  out  of  this  playing  for 
small  stakes,  but  it  is  irritating  to  lose.  Thank 
you  so  much  for  looking  after  me,"  she  added,  as 
they  reached  the  hall  of  the  hotel.  "  I  am  quite 
all  right  now  and  my  woman  will  be  sitting  up  for 
me." 

She  passed  into  the  lift.  Lady  Weybourne  looked 
after  her  admiringly. 

"  Say,  she's  got  some  pluck,  Harry ! "  she  mur- 
mured. "  They  say  she  lost  nearly  a  hundred  mille 
to-night  and  she  never  even  mentioned  her  losings. 
Irritating,  indeed !  I  wonder  what  Sir  Henry  thinks 
of  it.  They  are  only  moderately  well  off." 

Her  husband  shrugged  his  shoulders,  after  the 
fashion  of  his  sex. 

"  Let  us  hope,"  he  said,  "  that  it  is  Sir  Henry  who 
suffers." 

Violet  slipped  out  of  her  gown  and  dismissed  her 
maid.  In  her  dressing-gown  she  sat  before  the  open 
window.  Everywhere  the  place  seemed  steeped  in 
the  faint  violet  and  purple  light  preceding  the  dawn. 
Away  eastwards  she  could  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
mountains,  their  peaks  cut  sharply  against  the  soft, 
deep  sky;  a  crystalline  glow,  the  first  herald  of  the 
hidden  sunrise,  hanging  about  their  summits.  The 
gentle  breeze  from  the  Mediterranean  was  cool  and 


"  SUPPOSING  I  TAKE  THIS  MONEY  "     299 

sweet.  There  were  many  lights  still  gleaming  upon 
the  sea,  but  their  effect  now  seemed  tawdry.  She  sat 
there,  her  head  resting  upon  her  hands.  She  had 
the  feeling  of  being  somehow  detached  from  the  whole 
world  of  visible  objects,  as  though,  indeed,  she  were 
on  her  death-bed.  Surely  it  was  not  possible  to  pass 
any  further  through  life  than  this !  In  her  thoughts 
she  went  back  to  the  first  days  of  estrangement  be- 
tween her  husband  and  herself.  Almost  before  she 
realised  it,  she  found  herself  struggling  against  the 
tenderness  which  still  survived,  which  seemed  at  that 
moment  to  be  tearing  at  her  heart-strings.  He  had 
ceased  to  care,  she  told  herself.  It  was  all  too  ap- 
parent that  he  had  ceased  to  care.  He  was  amusing 
himself  elsewhere.  Her  little  impulsive  note  had  not 
won  even  a  kind  word  from  him.  Her  appeals,  on 
one  excuse  or  another,  had  been  disregarded.  She 
had  lost  her  place  in  his  life,  thrown  it  away,  she 
told  herself  bitterly.  And  in  its  stead  —  what!  A 
new  fear  of  Draconmeyer  was  stealing  over  her.  He 
presented  himself  suddenly  as  an  evil  genius.  She 
went  back  through  the  last  few  days.  Her  brain 
seemed  unexpectedly  clear,  her  perceptions  unerring. 
She  saw  with  hateful  distinctness  how  he  had  forced 
this  money  upon  her,  how  he  had  encouraged  her 
all  the  time  to  play  beyond  her  means.  She  real- 
ised the  cunning  with  which  he  had  left  that  last 
bundle  of  notes  in  her  keeping.  Well,  there  the  facts 
were.  She  owed  him  now  four  thousand  pounds. 
She  had  no  money  of  her  own,  she  was  already  over- 
drawn with  her  allowance.  There  was  no  chance  of 
paying  him.  She  realised,  with  a  little  shudder,  that 
he  did  not  want  payment,  a  realisation  which  had 


300        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

come  to  her  dimly  from  the  first,  but  which  she  had 
pushed  away  simply  because  she  had  felt  sure  of 
winning.  Now  there  was  the  price  to  be  paid !  She 
leaned  further  out  of  the  window.  Away  to  her  left 
the  glow  over  the  mountains  was  becoming  stained 
with  the  faintest  of  pinks.  She  looked  at  it  long, 
with  mute  and  critical  appreciation.  She  swept  with 
her  eyes  the  line  of  violet  shadows  from  the  moun- 
tain-tops to  the  sea-board,  where  the  pale  lights 
of  Bordighera  still  flickered.  She  looked  up  again 
from  the  dark  blue  sea  to  the  paling  stars.  It  was 
all  wonderful  —  theatrical,  perhaps,  but  wonderful 
—  and  how  she  hated  it !  She  stood  up  before  the 
window  and  with  her  clenched  fists  she  beat  against 
the  sills.  Those  long  days  and  feverish  nights 
through  which  she  had  passed  slowly  unfolded  them- 
selves. In  those  few  moments  she  seemed  to  taste 
again  the  dull  pain  of  constant  disappointment,  the 
hectic  thrills  of  occasional  winnings,  the  strange,  dull 
inertia  which  had  taken  the  place  of  resignation. 
She  looked  into  the  street  below.  How  long  would 
she  live  afterwards,  she  wondered,  if  she  threw  her- 
self down!  She  began  even  to  realise  the  state  of 
mind  which  breeds  suicides,  the  brooding  over  a  mor- 
row too  hateful  to  be  faced. 

As  she  still  stood  there,  the  silence  of  the  street 
below  was  broken.  A  motor-car  swung  round  the 
corner  and  swept  past  the  side  of  the  hotel.  She 
caught  at  the  curtain  as  she  recognised  its  occu- 
pants. Richard  Lane  was  driving,  and  by  his  side 
sat  her  husband.  The  car  was  covered  with  dust, 
both  men  seemed  weary  as  though  they  had  been 
out  all  night.  She  gazed  after  them  with  fast-beat- 


"  SUPPOSING  I  TAKE  THIS  MONEY  "     301 

ing  heart.  She  had  pictured  her  husband  at  the 
villa  on  the  hill!  Where  had  he  been  with  Richard 
Lane?  Perhaps,  after  all,  the  things  which  she  had 
imagined  were  not  true.  The  car  had  stopped  now 
at  the  front  door.  It  returned  a  moment  later  on 
its  way  to  the  garage,  with  only  Lane  driving.  She 
opened  her  door  and  stood  there  silently.  Hunter- 
leys  would  have  to  pass  the  end  of  the  corridor  if 
he  came  up  by  the  main  lift.  She  waited  with  fast 
beating  heart.  The  seconds  passed.  Then  she 
heard  the  rattle  of  the  lift  ascending,  its  click  as  it 
stopped,  and  soon  afterwards  the  footsteps  of  a  man. 
He  was  coming  —  coming  past  the  corner !  At  that 
moment  she  felt  that  the  sound  of  his  footsteps  was 
like  the  beating  of  fate.  They  came  nearer  and  she 
shrank  a  little  back.  There  was  something  unfamil- 
iar about  them.  Whoever  it  might  be,  it  was  not 
Henry !  And  then  suddenly  Draconmeyer  came  into 
sight.  He  saw  her  standing  there  and  stopped  short. 
Then  he  came  rapidly  near. 

"  Lady  Hunterleys !  "  he  exclaimed  softly.  "  You 
still  up?" 

She  hesitated.  Then  she  stood  on  one  side,  still 
grasping  the  handle  of  the  door. 

"  Do  you  want  to  come  in  ?  "  she  asked.  "  You 
may.  I  have  something  to  say  to  you.  Perhaps  I 
shall  sleep  better  if  I  say  it  now." 

He  stepped  quickly  past  her. 

"  Close  the  door,"  he  whispered  cautiously. 

She  obeyed  him  deliberately. 

"  There  is  no  hurry,"  she  said.  "  This  is  my  sit- 
ting-room. I  receive  whom  I  choose  here." 

"  But  it  is  nearly  six  o'clock !  "  he  exclaimed. 


302        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  That  does  not  affect  me,"  she  answered,  shrug- 
ging her  shoulders.  "  Sit  down." 

He  obeyed.  There  was  something  changed  about 
her,  something  which  he  did  not  recognise.  She 
thrust  her  hands  into  a  box  of  cigarettes,  took  one 
out  and  lit  it.  She  leaned  against  the  table,  facing 
him. 

"  Listen,"  she  continued,  "  I  have  borrowed  from 
you  three  thousand  pounds.  You  left  with  me  to- 
night —  I  don't  know  whether  you  meant  to  lend  it 
to  me  or  whether  I  had  it  on  trust,  but  you  left  it 
in  my  charge  —  another  thousand  pounds.  I  have 
lost  it  all  —  all,  you  understand  —  the  four  thou- 
sand pounds  and  every  penny  I  have  of  my  own." 

He  sat  quite  still.  He  was  watching  her  through 
his  gold-rimmed  spectacles.  There  was  the  slightest 
possible  frown  upon  his  forehead.  The  time  for 
talking  of  money  as  though  it  were  a  trifle  had 
passed. 

"  That  is  a  great  deal,"  he  said. 

"  It  is  a  great  deal,"  she  admitted.  "  I  owe  it  to 
you  and  I  cannot  pay.  What  are  you  going  to 
do?" 

He  watched  her  eagerly.  There  was  a  new  note 
in  her  voice.  He  paused  to  consider  what  it  might 
mean.  A  single  false  step  now  and  he  might  lose  all 
that  he  had  striven  for. 

"  How  am  I  to  answer  that  ?  "  he  asked  softly. 
"  I  will  answer  it  first  in  the  way  that  seems  most 
natural.  I  will  beg  you  to  accept  your  losings  as 
a  little  gift  from  me  —  as  a  proof,  if  you  will,  of  my 
friendship." 

He  had  saved  the  situation.     If  he  had  obeyed  his 


"SUPPOSING  I  TAKE  THIS  MONEY"     303 

first  impulse,  the  affair  would  have  been  finished. 
He  realised  it  as  he  watched  her  face,  and  he  shud- 
dered at  the  thought  of  his  escape.  His  words  ob- 
viously disturbed  her. 

"  It  is  not  possible  for  me,"  she  protested,  "  to 
accept  money  from  you." 

"  Not  from  Linda's  husband?  " 

She  threw  her  cigarette  into  the  grate  and  stood 
looking  at  him, 

"  Do  you  offer  it  to  me  as  Linda's  husband?  "  she 
demanded. 

It  was  a  crisis  for  which  Draconmeyer  was  scarcely 
prepared.  He  was  driven  out  of  his  pusillanimous 
compromise.  She  was  pressing  him  hard  for  the 
truth.  Again  the  fear  of  losing  her  altogether  terri- 
fied him. 

"  If  I  have  other  feelings  of  which  I  have  not 
spoken,"  he  said  quietly,  "  have  I  not  kept  them  to 
myself?  Do  I  obtrude  them  upon  you  even  now? 
I  am  content  to  wait." 

"  To  wait  for  what  ?  "  she  insisted. 

All  that  had  been  in  his  mind  seemed  suddenly 
miraged  before  him  —  the  removal  of  Hunterleys,  his 
own  wife's  failing  health.  The  way  had  seemed  so 
clear  only  a  little  time  ago,  and  now  the  clouds  were 
back  again. 

"  Until  you  appreciate  the  fact,"  he  told  her, 
**  that  you  have  no  more  sincere  friend,  that  there  is 
no  one  who  values  your  happiness  more  than  I  do." 

"  Supposing  I  take  this  money  from  you,"  she 
asked,  after  a  moment's  pause.  "  Are  there  any  con- 
ditions ?  " 

"None  whatever,"  he  answered. 


304        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

She  turned  away  with  a  little  sigh.  The  tragedy 
which  a  few  minutes  ago  she  had  seen  looming  up, 
eluded  her.  She  had  courted  a  denouement  in  vain. 
He  was  too  clever. 

"  You  are  very  generous,"  she  said.  "  We  will 
speak  of  this  to-morrow.  I  called  you  in  because 
I  could  not  bear  the  uncertainty  of  it  all.  Please  go 
now." 

He  rose  slowly  to  his  feet.  She  gave  him  her 
hand  lifelessly.  He  kept  it  for  a  moment.  She 
drew  it  away  and  looked  at  the  place  where  his  lips 
had  touched  it,  wonderingly.  It  was  as  though  her 
fingers  had  been  scorched  with  fire. 

"  It  shall  be  to-morrow,"  he  whispered,  as  he 
passed  out. 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

NEAEING   A    CRISIS 

From  the  wilds  of  Scotland  to  Monte  Carlo,  as 
fast  as  motor-cars  and  train  de  luxe  could  bring 
him,  came  the  right  Honourable  Meredith  Simpson, 
a  very  distinguished  member  of  His  Majesty's  Gov- 
ernment. Hunterleys,  advised  of  his  coming  by  tele- 
gram from  Marseilles,  met  him  at  the  station,  and 
together  the  two  men  made  their  way  at  once  to 
Hunterleys'  room  across  at  the  Hotel  de  Paris. 
Behind  locked  doors  they  spoke  for  the  first  time  of 
important  matters. 

"  It's  a  great  find,  this  of  yours,  Hunterleys,"  the 
Minister  acknowledged,  "  and  it  is  corroborated,  too, 
by  what  we  know  is  happening  around  us.  We  have 
had  all  the  warning  in  the  world  just  lately.  The 
Russian  Ambassador  is  in  St.  Petersburg  on  leave  of 
absence  —  in  fact  for  the  last  six  months  he  has  been 
taking  his  duties  remarkably  lightly.  Tell  me  how 
you  first  heard  of  the  affair?  " 

"  I  got  wind  of  it  in  Sofia,"  Hunterleys  explained. 
"  I  travelled  from  there  quite  quietly,  loitered  about 
the  Italian  Riviera,  and  came  on  here  as  a  tourist. 
The  only  help  I  could  get  hold  of  here  was  from 
Sidney  Roche,  who,  as  you  know,  is  one  of  our  Se- 
cret Service  men.  Roche,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  was 


306        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

shot  last  night.  He  may  live  but  he  won't  be  well 
enough  to  take  any  further  hand  in  the  game  here, 
and  I  have  no  one  to  take  his  place." 

"  Roche  shot ! "  Mr.  Simpson  exclaimed,  in  a 
shocked  tone.  "  How  did  it  happen  ?  " 

"  They  found  him  lying  on  the  roof  of  the  Villa 
Mimosa,  just  over  the  room  where  the  meeting  was 
taking  place,"  Hunterleys  replied.  "  They  chased 
him  round  the  grounds  and  we  just  got  him  off  in  a 
motor-car,  but  not  before  he'd  been  hit  twice.  He 
was  just  able  to  tell  me  a  little.  The  first  meeting 
was  quite  informal  and  very  guarded.  Douaille  was 
most  cautious  —  he  was  there  only  to  listen.  The 
second  meeting  was  last  night.  Grex  was  in  the 
chair,  representing  Russia." 

"  You  mean  the  Grand  Duke  Augustus  ?  "  Mr. 
Simpson  interrupted. 

Hunterleys  nodded. 

"  Grex  is  the  name  he  is  living  under  here.  He 
explained  Russia's  position.  Poor  Roche  was  only 
able  to  falter  a  few  words,  but  what  he  said  was 
enough  to  give  us  the  key-note  to  the  whole  thing. 
The  long  and  short  of  it  all  is  that  Russia  turned 
her  face  westward  so  long  as  Constantinople  was 
possible.  Now  that  this  war  has  come  about  and 
ended  as  it  has  done,  Russia's  chance  hus  gone. 
There  is  no  longer  any  quid  pro  quo  for  her  alli- 
ance with  France.  There  is  no  friendship,  of  course, 
between  Russia  and  Germany,  but  at  any  rate  Rus- 
sia has  nothing  to  fear  from  Germany,  and  she  knows 
it.  Grex  is  quite  frank.  They  must  look  eastward, 
he  said,  and  when  he  says  eastward,  he  means  Man- 
churia, China,  Persia,  even  India.  At  the  same  time, 


NEARING  A  CRISIS  307 

Russia  has  a  conscience,  even  though  it  be  a  diplo- 
matic conscience.  Hence  this  conference.  She 
doesn't  want  France  crushed.  Germany  has  a 
proposition.  It  has  been  enunciated  up  to  a  cer- 
tain point.  She  confers  Alsace  and  Lorraine  and 
possibly  Egypt  upon  France,  for  her  neutrality 
whilst  she  destroys  the  British  Fleet.  Or  failing  her 
neutrality,  she  wants  her  to  place  a  weak  army  on  the 
frontier,  which  can  fall  back  without  much  loss  before 
a  German  advance.  Germany's  objective  then  will 
be  Calais  and  not  Paris,  and  from  there  she  will  com- 
mand the  Straits  and  deal  with  the  British  Fleet  at 
her  leisure.  Meanwhile,  she  will  conclude  peace  with 
France  on  highly  advantageous  terms.  Don't  you 
see  what  it  means,  Simpson?  The  elementary  part 
of  the  thing  is  as  simple  as  A  B  C.  Germany  has 
nothing  to  gain  from  Russia,  she  has  nothing  to  gain 
from  France.  England  is  the  only  country  who  can 
give  her  what  she  wants.  That  is  about  as  far  as 
they  have  got,  up  to  now,  but  there  is  something  fur- 
ther behind  it  all.  That,  Selingman  is  to  tell  them 
to-night." 

"  The  most  important  point  about  the  whole  mat- 
ter, so  far  as  we  are  concerned,"  Mr.  Simpson  de- 
clared, "  is  Douaille's  attitude.  You  have  received 
no  indication  of  that,  I  suppose?  " 

"  None  whatever,"  Hunterleys  answered.  "  I 
thought  of  paying  my  respects,  but  after  all,  you 
know,  I  have  no  official  standing,  and  personally  we 
are  almost  strangers." 

The  Minister  nodded. 

"  It's  a  difficult  position,"  he  confessed.  "  Havr 
you  copies  of  your  reports  to  London?  " 


308        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  I  have  copies  of  them,  and  full  notes  of  every- 
thing that  has  transpired  so  far,  in  a  strong  box  up 
at  the  bank,"  Hunterleys  assented.  "  We  can  stroll 
up  there  after  lunch  and  I  will  place  all  the  docu- 
ments in  your  hands.  You  can  look  them  through 
then  and  decide  what  is  best  to  be  done." 

The  Minister  rose  to  his  feet. 

"  I  shall  go  round  to  my  rooms,  change  my 
clothes,"  he  announced,  "  and  meet  you  presently. 
We'll  lunch  across  at  Giro's,  eh?  I  didn't  mean  to 
come  to  Monte  Carlo  this  year,  but  so  long  as  I  am 
here,  I  may  as  well  make  the  best  of  it.  You  are  not 
looking  as  though  the  change  had  done  you  much 
good,  Hunterleys." 

"  The  last  few  days,"  Hunterleys  remarked,  a 
little  drily,  "  have  not  been  exactly  in  the  nature  of 
a  holiday." 

"  Are  you  here  alone  ?  " 

"  I  came  alone.  I  found  my  wife  here  by  accident. 
She  came  through  with  the  Draconmeyers.  They 
were  supposed  to  stay  at  Cannes,  but  altered  their 
plans.  Of  course,  Draconmeyer  meant  to  come  here 
all  the  time." 

The  Minister  frowned. 

"  Draconmeyer's  one  man  I  should  be  glad  to  see 
out  of  London,"  he  declared.  "  Under  the  pretext 
of  fostering  good-will,  and  that  sort  of  thing,  between 
the  mercantile  classes  of  our  two  countries.  I  think 
that  that  fellow  has  done  about  as  much  mischief  as 
it  is  possible  for  any  single  man  to  have  accomplished. 
We'll  meet  in  an  hour,  Hunterleys.  My  man  is 
putting  out  some  things  for  me  and  I  must  have  a 
bath." 


NEARING  A  CRISIS  309 

Hunterleys  walked  up  to  the  hospital,  and  to  his 
surprise  met  Selingman  coming  away.  The  latter 
saluted  him  with  a  wave  of  the  hat  and  a  genial 
smile. 

"  Calling  to  see  our  poor  invalid?  "  he  enquired 
blandly. 

Kunterleys,  although  he  knew  his  man,  was  a  lit- 
tle taken  aback. 

"  What  share  in  him  do  you  claim  ?  "  he  asked. 

Selingman  sighed. 

"  Alas ! "  he  confessed,  "  I  fear  that  my  claim 
would  sound  a  little  cold-blooded.  I  think  that  I 
was  the  only  man  who  held  his  gun  straight.  Yet, 
after  all,  Roche  would  be  the  last  to  bear  me  any 
grudge.  He  was  playing  the  game,  taking  his  risks. 
Uncommonly  bad  marksmen  Grex's  private  police 
were,  or  he'd  be  in  the  morgue  instead  of  the  hos- 
pital." 

"  I  gather  that  our  friend  is  still  alive?  "  Hunter- 
leys  remarked. 

"  Going  on  as  well  as  could  be  expected,"  Seling- 
man replied. 

"Conscious?" 

Selingman  smiled. 

"  You  see  through  my  little  visit  of  sympathy  at 
once ! "  he  exclaimed.  "  Unable  to  converse,  I  am 
assured,  and  unable  to  share  with  his  friends  any 
little  information  he  may  have  picked  up  last  night. 
By  the  way,  whom  shall  you  send  to  report  our  little 
conference  to-night?  You  wouldn't  care  to  come 
yourself,  would  you  ?  " 

"  I  should  like  to  exceedingly,"  Hunterleys  As- 
sured him,  "  if  you'd  give  me  a  safe  conduct." 


3io        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Selingman  withdrew  his  cigar  from  his  mouth  and 
laid  his  hand  upon  the  other's  shoulder. 

"  My  dear  friend,"  he  said  earnestly,  "  your  safe 
conduct,  if  ever  I  signed  it,  would  be  to  the  other 
world.  Frankly,  we  find  you  rather  a  nuisance.  We 
would  be  better  pleased  if  your  Party  were  in  office, 
and  you  with  your  knees  tucked  under  a  desk  at 
Downing  Street,  attending  to  your  official  business 
in  your  official  place.  Who  gave  you  this  roving 
commission,  eh?  Who  sent  you  to  talk  common 
sense  to  the  Balkan  States,  and  how  the  mischief  did 
you  get  wind  of  our  little  meeting  here  ?  " 

"  Ah !  "  Hunterleys  replied,  "  I  expect  you  really 
know  all  these  things." 

Selingman,  with  his  feet  planted  firmly  upon  the 
pavement,  took  a  fresh  cigar  from  his  waistcoat 
pocket,  bit  off  the  end  and  lit  it. 

"  My  friend  Hunterleys,"  he  continued,  "  I  am 
enjoying  this  brief  interchange  of  confidences.  Cir- 
cumstances have  made  me,  as  you  see,  a  politician,  a 
schemer  if  you  like.  Nature  meant  me  to  be  one  of 
the  frankest,  the  most  truthful,  the  best-hearted  of 
men.  I  detest  the  tortuous  ways  of  the  old  diplo- 
macy. The  spoken  word  pleases  me  best.  That  is 
why  I  like  a  few  minutes'  conversation  with  the  en- 
emy, why  I  love  to  stand  here  and  talk  to  you  with 
the  buttons  off  our  foils.  We  are  scheming  against 
you  and  your  country,  and  you  know  it,  and  we  shall 
win.  We  can't  help  but  win  —  if  not  to-day,  to- 
morrow. Your  country  has  had  a  marvellously  long 
run  of  good  luck,  but  it  can't  last  for  ever." 

Hunterleys  smiled. 

"  Well,"  he  observed,  "  there's  nothing  like  confi- 


NEARING  A  CRISIS  311 

dence.  If  you  are  so  sure  of  success,  why  couldn't 
you  choose  a  cleaner  way  to  it  than  by  tampering 
with  our  ally  ?  " 

Selingman  patted  his  companion  on  the  shoulder. 

"  Listen,  my  friend,"  he  said,  "  there  are  no  such 
things  as  allies.  An  alliance  between  two  countries 
is  a  dead  letter  so  soon  as  their  interests  cease  to  be 
identical.  Now  Austria  is  our  ally  because  she  is 
practically  Germany.  We  are  both  mid-Continental 
Powers.  We  both  need  the  same  protection.  But 
England  and  France !  Go  back  only  fifty  years,  my 
dear  Hunterleys,  and  ask  yourself  —  would  any  liv- 
ing person,  living  now  and  alive  then,  believe  in  the 
lasting  nature  of  such  an  unnatural  alliance  ?  Wher- 
ever  you  look,  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe,  your  in- 
terests are  opposed.  You  robbed  France  of  Egypt. 
She  can't  have  wholly  forgotten.  You  dominate 
the  Mediterranean  through  Gibraltar,  Malta,  and 
Cyprus.  What  does  she  think  of  that,  I  wonder? 
Isn't  a  humiliation  for  her  when  she  does  stop  to 
think  of  it?  You've  a  thousand  years  of  quarrels, 
of  fighting  and  rapine  behind  you.  You  can't  call 
yourselves  allies  because  the  thing  isn't  natural.  It 
never  could  be.  It  was  only  your  mutual,  hysterical 
fear  of  Germany  which  drove  you  into  one  another's 
arms.  We  fought  France  once  to  prove  ourselves, 
and  for  money.  Just  now  we  don't  want  either 
money  or  territory  from  France.  Perhaps  we  don't 
even  want,  my  dear  Englishman,  what  you  think  we 
want,  but  all  the  same,  don't  blame  us  for  trying  to 
dissolve  an  unnatural  alliance.  Was  that  Simpson 
who  came  by  the  Luxe  this  morning?  " 

"  It  was,"  Hunterleys  admitted. 


313        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  The  Right  Honourable  John  William  Meredith 
Simpson ! "  Selingman  recited,  waving  his  cigar. 
"  Well,  well,  we  certainly  have  made  a  stir  with  our 
little  meetings  here.  An  inspired  English  Cabinet 
Minister,  travel-stained  and  dusty,  arrives  with  his 
valet  and  a  black  dispatch-box,  to  foil  our  schemes. 
Send  him  along,  my  friend.  We  are  not  at  all  afraid 
of  Mr.  Simpson.  Perhaps  we  may  even  ask  him  to 
join  us  this  evening." 

"  I  fancy,"  Hunterleys  remarked  grimly,  "  that 
the  Englishman  who  joins  you  this  evening  will  find 
a  home  up  on  the  hill  here." 

"  Or  down  in  the  morgue  there,"  Selingman 
grunted,  pointing  down  to  Monaco.  "  Take  care, 
Hunterleys  —  take  care,  man.  One  of  us  hates  you. 
It  isn't  I.  You  are  fighting  a  brave  fight  and  a  losing 
fight,  but  you  are  good  metal.  Try  and  remember, 
when  you  find  that  you  are  beaten,  that  life  has  many 
consolations  for  the  philosopher." 

He  passed  on  and  Hunterleys  entered  the  hospital. 
Whilst  he  was  waiting  in  the  little  reception-room, 
Felicia  came  in.  Her  face  showed  signs  of  her  night's 
anxiety. 

"  Sidney  is  still  unconscious,"  she  announced,  her 
voice  shaking  a  little.  "  The  doctors  seem  hopeful 
—  but  oh!  Sir  Henry,  it  is  terrible  to  see  him  lying 
there  just  as  though  he  were  dead!  " 

"  Sidney  will  pull  through  all  right,"  Hunterleys 
declared,  encouragingly.  "  He  has  a  wonderful  con- 
stitution and  he  is  the  luckiest  fellow  born.  He  al~ 
ways  gets  out  of  trouble,  somehow  or  other." 

She  came  slowly  up  to  him. 

*''  Sir  Henry,"  she  said  piteously,  "  I  know  quite 


NEARING  A  CRISIS  313 

well  that  Sidney  was  willing  to  take  his  risks.  He 
went  into  this  thing,  knowing  it  was  dangerous.  I 
want  to  be  brave.  What  happens  must  be.  But 
listen.  You  won't  —  you  won't  rob  me  of  everything 
in  life,  will  you?  You  won't  send  David  after  him?  " 

Hunterleys  smiled  reassuringly. 

"  I  can  promise  you  that,"  he  told  her.  "  This 
isn't  David's  job  at  all.  He  has  to  stick  to  his  post 
and  help  out  the  bluff  as  a  press  correspondent. 
Don't  be  afraid,  Felicia.  You  shall  have  your 
David." 

She  seized  his  hand  and  kissed  it. 

"  You  have  been  so  kind  to  me  always,  Sir  Henry," 
she  sighed.  "  I  can't  tell  you  how  thankful  I  am  to 
think  that  you  don't  want  David  to  go  and  run 
these  horrible  risks." 

"  No  fear  of  that,  I  promise  you,"  he  assured  her 
once  more.  "  David  will  be  busy  enough  pulling  the 
strings  another  way." 

The  doctor  entered  the  room  and  shook  hands  with 
Hunterleys.  There  was  no  news,  he  declared,  noth- 
ing to  be  done.  The  patient  must  continue  in  his 
present  condition  for  several  more  hours  at  least. 
The  symptoms  were,  in  their  way,  favourable.  Be- 
yond that,  nothing  could  be  said.  Felicia  and 
Hunterleys  left  the  hospital  together. 

"  I  wonder,"  she  began,  as  they  turned  out  of  the 
white  gates,  "  whether  you  would  mind  very  much  if 
I  told  you  something?  " 

"  Of  course  not !  " 

"  Yesterday,"  she  continued  slowly,  "  I  met  Lady 
Hunterleys.  You  know,  I  have  seen  her  twice  when 
I  have  been  to  your  house  to  sing  for  your  guests. 


314        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

She  recognised  me,  I  feel  sure,  but  she  didn't  seem  to 
want  to  see  me.  She  looked  surprised  when  I  bowed. 
I  worried  about  it  at  first  and  then  I  wondered.  You 
are  so  very,  very  secretive  just  now.  Whatever  this 
affair  may  be  in  which  you  three  are  all  concerned, 
you  never  open  your  lips  about  it.  Lady  Hunter- 
leys  probably  doesn't  know  that  you  have  had  to 
come  up  to  the  villa  at  all  hours  of  the  night  just  to 
see  Sidney.  You  don't  suppose  that  by  any  chance 
she  imagined  —  that  you  came  to  see  me  ?  " 

Hunterleys  was  struck  by  the  thought.  He  re- 
membered several  chance  remarks  of  his  wife.  He 
remembered,  too,  the  coincidence  of  his  recent  visits 
to  the  villa  having  prevented  him  in  each  case  from 
acceding  to  some  request  of  Violet's. 

"  I  am  glad  you've  mentioned  this,  child,"  he  said 
frankly.  "  Now  I  come  to  think  of  it,  my  wife  cer- 
tainly did  know  that  I  came  up  to  the  villa  very  late 
one  night,  and  she  seemed  upset  about  it.  Of  course, 
she  hasn't  the  faintest  idea  about  your  brother." 

"  Well,"  Felicia  declared,  with  a  sigh  of  relief,  "  I 
felt  that  I  had  to  tell  you.  It  sounded  horribly  con- 
ceited, in  a  way,  but  then  she  wouldn't  know  that  you 
came  to  see  Sidney,  or  that  I  was  engaged  to  David. 
Misunderstandings  do  come  about  so  easily,  you 
know,  sometimes." 

"  This  one  shall  be  put  right,  at  any  rate,"  he 
promised  her.  "  Now,  if  you  will  take  my  advice, 
you  will  go  home  and  lie  down  until  the  evening. 
You  are  going  to  sing  again,  aren't  you  ?  " 

'*  lf  there  is  no  change,"  she  replied.  "  I  know 
th&t  be  would  like  me  to.  You  haven't  minded — ! 
what  I've 


HEARING  A  CRISIS 

"  Not  a  bit,  child,"  he  assured  her ;  "  in  fact  I  think 
it  was  very  good  of  you.  Now  I'll  put  you  in  this 
carriage  and  send  you  home.  Think  of  nothing  ex- 
cept that  Sidney  is  getting  better  every  hour,  and 
sing  to-night  as  though  your  voice  could  reach  his 
bedside.  Au  revoir !  " 

He  waved  his  hand  to  her  as  she  drove  off,  and 
returned  to  the  Hotel  de  Paris.  He  found  a  re- 
freshed and  rejuvenated  Simpson  smoking  a  ciga- 
rette upon  the  steps. 

"  To  lunch !  "  the  latter  exclaimed.  "  Afterwards 
I  will  tell  you  my  plana." 


CHAPTER  XXXn 

AN    INTERESTING    MEETING 

Hunterleys  leaned  suddenly  forward  across  the  lit- 
tle round  table. 

"  The  question  of  whether  or  no  you  shall  pay  your 
respects  to  Monsieur  Douaille,"  he  remarked,  "  is 
solved.  Unless  I  am  very  much  mistaken,  we  are 
going  to  have  an  exceedingly  interesting  luncheon- 
party  on  our  right." 

"  Monsieur  Douaille  — "  Mr.  Simpson  began,  a 
little  eagerly. 

"  And  the  others,"  Hunterleys  interrupted. 
"  Don't  look  around  for  a  moment.  This  is  almost 
historical." 

Monsieur  Giro  himself,  bowing  and  smiling,  wa* 
ushering  a  party  of  guests  to  a  round  table  upon  the 
terrace,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  two  men. 
Mr.  Grex,  with  his  daughter  and  Lady  Hunterleys 
on  one  side  and  Monsieur  Douaille  on  the  other,  were 
in  the  van.  Draconmeyer  followed  with  Lady  Wey- 
bourne,  and  Selingman  brought  up  the  rear  with  the 
Comtesse  d'Hausson,  one  of  the  most  prominent  lead- 
ers of  the  French  colony  in  Monte  Carlo,  and  a  con- 
nection by  marriage  of  Monsieur  Douaille. 

"  A    luncheon-party    for    Douaille,"    Hunterleys 
murmured,  as  he  bowed  to  his  wife  and  exchanged- 
greetings  with  some  of  the  others.     "  I  wonder  what 


AN  INTERESTING  MEETING          317 

they  think  of  their  neighbours !  A  little  embarrass- 
ing for  the  chief  guest,  I  am  afraid." 

"  I  see  your  wife  is  in  the  enemy's  camp,"  his 
companion  observed.  "  Draconmeyer  is  coming  to 
speak  to  me.  This  promises  to  be  interesting." 

Draconmeyer  and  Selingman  both  came  over  to 
greet  the  English  Minister.  Selingman's  blue  eyes 
were  twinkling  with  humour,  his  smile  was  broad  and 
irresistible. 

"  This  should  send  funds  up  in  every  capital  of 
Europe,"  he  declared,  as  he  shook  hands.  "  When 
Mr.  Meredith  Simpson  takes  a  holiday,  then  the  po- 
litical barometer  points  to  *  set  fair  ' !  " 

"  A  tribute  to  my  conscientiousness,"  the  Minister 
replied,  smiling.  "  I  am  glad  to  see  that  I  am  not 
the  only  hard-worked  statesman  who  feels  able  to 
take  a  few  days'  holiday." 

Selingman  glanced  at  the  round  table  and  beamed. 

"  It  is  true,"  he  admitted.  "  Every  country  seems 
to  have  sent  its  statesmen  holiday-making.  And 
what  a  playground,  too ! "  he  added,  glancing  to- 
wards Hunterleys  with  something  which  was  almost  a 
wink.  "  Here,  political  crises  seem  of  little  account 
by  the  side  of  the  turning  wheel.  This  is  where  the 
world  unbends  and  it  is  well  that  there  should  be  such 
a  place.  Shall  we  see  you  at  the  Club  or  in  the  rooms 
later?  " 

"  Without  a  doubt,"  Mr.  Simpson  assented.  "  For 
what  else  does  one  live  in  Monte  Carlo  ?  " 

"  How  did  you  leave  things  in  town  ?  "  Mr.  Dra- 
conmeyer enquired. 

"  So-so ! "  the  Minister  answered.  *'  A  little 
flat,  but  then  it  is  a  dull  season  of  the  year." 


3i8        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Markets  about  the  same,  I  suppose  ?  "  Mr.  Dra- 
conmeyer asked. 

"  I  am  afraid,"  Mr.  Simpson  confessed,  "  that  I 
only  study  the  city  column  from  the  point  of  view 
of  what  Herr  Selingman  has  just  called  the  political 
barometer.  Things  were  a  little  unsteady  when  I 
left.  Consols  fell  several  points  yesterday." 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  frowned. 

"  It  is  incomprehensible,"  he  declared.  "  A  few 
months  ago  there  was  real  danger,  one  is  forced  to 
believe,  of  a  European  war.  To-day  the  crisis  is 
passed,  yet  the  money-markets  which  bore  up  so  well 
through  the  critical  period  seem  now  all  the  time  on 
the  point  of  collapse.  It  is  hard  for  a  banker  to 
know  how  to  operate  these  days.  I  wish  you  gen- 
tlemen in  Downing  Street,  Mr.  Simpson,  would  make 
it  easier  for  us." 

Mr.  Simpson  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  The  real  truth  of  the  matter  is,"  he  said,  "  that 
you  allow  your  money-market  to  become  too  sensitive 
an  affair.  A  whisper  will  depress  it.  A  threatening 
word  spoken  in  the  Reichstag  or  in  the  House  of  Par- 
liament, magnified  a  hundred-fold  before  it  reaches 
its  destination,  has  sometimes  a  most  unwarranted 
effect  upon  markets.  You  mustn't  blame  us  so 
much,  Mr.  Draconmeyer.  You  jump  at  conclusions 
too  easily  in  the  city." 

"  Sound  common  sense,"  Mr.  Draconmeyer  agreed. 
"  You  are  perfectly  right  when  you  say  that  we  are 
over-sensitive.  The  banker  deplores  it  as  much  as 
the  politician.  It's  the  money-kings,  I  suppose,  who 
find  it  profitable." 

They  returned  to  their  table  a  moment  later.     As 


AN  INTERESTING  MEETING         319 

he  passed  Douaille,  Selingman  whispered  in  his  ear. 
Monsieur  Douaille  turned  around  at  once  and  bowed 
to  Simpson.  As  he  caught  the  tatter's  eye  he,  too, 
left  his  place  and  came  across.  Mr.  Simpson  rose 
to  his  feet.  The  two  men  bowed  formally  before 
shaking  hands. 

"  Monsieur  Simpson,"  the  Frenchman  exclaimed, 
"  it  is  a  pleasure  to  find  that  I  am  remembered ! " 

"  Without  a  doubt,  monsieur,"  was  the  prompt 
reply.  "  Your  last  visit  to  London,  on  the  occasion 
when  we  had  the  pleasure  of  entertaining  you  at  the 
Guildhall,  is  too  recent,  and  was  too  memorable  an 
event  altogether  for  us  to  have  forgotten.  Permit 
me  to  assure  you  that  your  speech  on  that  occasion 
was  one  which  no  patriotic  Englishman  is  likely  to 
forget." 

Monsieur  Douaille  inclined  his  head  in  thanks. 
His  manner  was  not  altogether  free  from  embarrass- 
ment. 

'*  I  trust  that  you  are  enjoying  your  holiday 
here?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  have  only  this  moment  arrived,"  Mr.  Simpson 
explained.  **  I  am  looking  forward  to  a  few  days' 
rest  immensely.  I  trust  that  I  shall  have  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  something  of  you,  Monsieur 
Douaille.  A  little  conversation  would  be  most  agree- 
able." 

"  In  Monte  Carlo  one  meets  one's  friends  all  the 
time,"  Monsieur  Douaille  replied.  "  I  lunch  to-day 
with  my  friend  —  our  mutual  friend,  without  a  doubt 
—  who  calls  himself  here  Mr.  Grex." 

Mr.  Simpson  nodded. 

"  If  it  is  permitted,"  he  suggested,  "  I  should  like 


320        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

to  do  myself  the  honour  of  paying  my  respects  to 
you." 

Monsieur  Douaille  was  flattered. 

"  My  stay  here  is  short,"  he  regretted,  "  but  your 
visit  will  be  most  acceptable.  I  am  at  the  Riviera 
Palace  Hotel." 

"  It  is  one  of  my  theories,"  Mr.  Simpson  remarked, 
"  that  politicians  are  at  a  serious  disadvantage  com- 
pared with  business  men,  inasmuch  as,  with  important 
affairs  under  their  control,  they  have  few  opportuni- 
ties of  meeting  those  with  whom  they  have  dealings. 
It  would  be  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  discuss  one  or 
two  matters  with  you." 

Monsieur  Douaille  departed,  with  a  few  charming 
words  of  assent.  Simpson  looked  after  him  with 
kindling  eyes. 

"  This,"  he  murmured,  leaning  across  the  table, 
"  is  a  most  extraordinary  meeting.  There  they  sit, 
those  very  men  whom  you  suspect  of  this  devilish 
scheme,  within  a  few  feet  of  us !  Positively  thrill- 
ing, Hunterleys ! " 

Hunterleys,  too,  seemed  to  feel  the  stimulating  ef- 
fect of  a  situation  so  dramatic.  As  the  meal  pro- 
gressed, he  drew  his  chair  a  little  closer  to  the  table 
and  leaned  over  towards  his  companion. 

"  I  think,"  he  said,  "  that  we  shall  both  of  us  re- 
member the  coincidence  of  this  meeting  as  long  as 
we  live.  At  that  luncheon-table,  within  a  few  yards 
of  us,  sits  Russia,  the  new  Russia,  raising  his  head 
after  a  thousand  years'  sleep,  watching  the  times, 
weighing  them,  realising  his  own  immeasurable 
strength,  pointing  his  inevitable  finger  along  the 
road  which  the  Russia  of  to-morrow  must  trea,d. 


AN  INTERESTING  MEETING         321 

There  isn't  a  man  in  that  great  country  so  much  to 
be  feared  to-day,  from  our  point  of  view,  as  the 
Grand  Duke  Augustus.  And  look,  too,  at  the  same 
table,  within  a  few  feet,  Simpson,  of  you  and  of  me 
—  Selingman,  Selingman  who  represents  the  real 
Germany ;  not  the  war  party  alone,  intoxicated  with 
the  clash  of  arms,  filled  with  bombastic  desires  for 
German  triumphs  on  sea  and  land,  ever  ready  to 
spout  in  flowery  and  grandiloquent  phrases  the  glory 
of  Germany  and  the  Heaven-sent  genius  of  her  lead- 
ers. I  tell  you,  Simpson,  Selingman  is  a  more  dan- 
gerous man  than  that.  He  sits  with  folded  arms,  in 
realms  of  thought  above  these  people.  He  sits  with 
a  map  of  the  world  before  him,  and  he  places  his  fin- 
ger upon  the  inevitable  spots  which  Germany  must 
possess  to  keep  time  with  the  march  of  the  world, 
to  find  new  homes  for  her  overflowing  millions.  He 
has  no  military  fervour,  no  tinselly  patriotism.  He 
knows  what  Germany  needs  and  he  will  carve  her  way 
towards  it.  Look  at  him  with  his  napkin  tucked 
under  his  chin,  broad-visaged,  podgy,  a  slave,  you 
might  think,  to  the  joys  of  the  table  and  the  grosser 
things  of  life.  You  should  see  his  eyes  sometimes 
when  the  right  note  is  struck,  watch  his  mouth  when 
he  sits  and  thinks.  He  uses  words  for  an  ambush 
and  a  barricade.  He  talks  often  like  a  gay  fool,  a 
flood  of  empty  verbiage  streams  from  his  lips,  and 
behind,  all  the  time  his  brain  works." 

"  You  seem  to  have  studied  these  people,  Hunter- 
leys,"  Simpson  remarked  appreciatively. 

Hunterleys  smiled  as  he  continued  his  luncheon. 

"  Forgive  me  if  I  was  a  little  prolix,"  he  said, 
"  but,  after  all,  what  would  you  have?  I  am  out  of 


322        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

office  but  I  remain  a  servant  of  my  country.  My 
interest  is  just  as  keen  as  though  I  were  in  a  respon- 
sible position." 

"  You  are  well  out  of  it,"  Simpson  sighed.  "  If 
half  what  you  suspect  is  true,  it's  the  worst  fix  we've 
been  in  for  some  time." 

"  I  am  afraid  there  isn't  any  doubt  about  it,"  Hun- 
tsrleys  declared.  "  Of  course,  we've  been  at  a  fear- 
ful disadvantage.  Roche  was  the  only  man  out  here 
upon  whom  I  could  rely.  Now  they've  accounted  for 
him,  we've  scarcely  a  chance  of  getting  at  the  truth." 

Mr.  Simpson  was  gloomily  silent  for  some  mo- 
ments. He  was  thinking  of  the  time  when  he  had 
struck  his  pencil  through  a  recent  Secret  Service 
estimate. 

"  Anyhow,"  Hunterleys  went  on,  "  it  will  be  all 
over  in  twenty-four  hours.  Something  will  be  de- 
cided upon  —  what,  I  am  afraid  there  is  very  little 
chance  of  our  getting  to  know.  These  men  will  sep- 
arate —  Grex  to  St.  Petersburg,  Selingman  to  Ber- 
lin, Douaille  to  Paris.  Then  I  think  we  shall  begin 
to  hear  the  mutterings  of  the  storm." 

"  I  think,"  Mr.  Simpson  intervened,  his  eyes  fixed 
upon  an  approaching  figure,  "  that  there  is  a  young 
lady  talking  to  the  maitre  d'hotel,  who  is  trying  to 
attract  your  attention." 

Hunterleys  turned  around  in  his  chair.  It  was 
Felicia  who  was  making  her  way  towards  him.  He 
rose  at  once  to  his  feet.  There  was  a  little  murmur 
of  interest  amongst  the  lunchers  as  she  threaded  her 
way  past  the  tables.  It  was  not  often  that  an  Eng- 
lish singer  in  opera  had  met  with  so  great  a  success. 
Lady  Hunterleys,  recognising  her  as  she  passed, 


AN  INTERESTING  MEETING         323 

paused  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence.  Her  face  har- 
dened. Hunterleys  had  risen  from  his  place  and  was 
watching  Felicia's  approach  anxiously. 

"  Is  there  any  news  of  Sidney?  "  he  asked  quickly, 
as  he  took  her  hand. 

"  Nothing  fresh,"  she  answered  in  a  low  voice. 
"  I  have  brought  you  a  message  —  from  some  one 
else." 

He  held  his  chair  for  her  but  she  shook  her  head. 

"  I  mustn't  stay,"  she  continued.  "  This  is  what 
I  wanted  to  tell  you.  As  I  was  crossing  the  square 
just  now,  I  recognised  the  man  Frenhofer,  from  the 
Villa  Mimosa.  Directly  he  &aw  me  he  came  across 
the  road.  He  was  looking  for  one  of  us.  He  dared 
not  come  to  the  villa,  he  declares,  for  fear  of  being 
watched.  He  has  something  to  tell  you." 

"  Where  can  I  find  him?  "  Hunterleys  asked. 

"  He  has  gone  to  a  little  bar  in  the  Rue  de  Chaus- 
sures,  the  Bar  de  Montmartre  it  is  called.  He  is 
waiting  there  for  you  now." 

"  You  must  stay  and  have  some  lunch,"  Hunter- 
leys  begged.  "  I  will  come  back." 

She  shook  her  head. 

"  I  have  just  been  across  to  the  Opera  House,"  she 
explained,  "  to  enquire  about  some  properties  for 
to-night.  I  have  had  all  the  lunch  I  want  and  I  am 
on  my  way  to  the  hospital  now  again.  I  came  here 
on  the  chance  of  finding  you.  They  told  me  at  the 
Hotel  de  Paris  that  you  were  lunching  out." 

Hunterleys  turned  and  whispered  to  Simpson. 

"  This  is  very  important,"  he  said.  "  It  concerns 
the  affair  in  which  we  are  interested.  Linger  over 
jour  coffee  and  I  will  return." 


324        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Mr.  Simpson  nodded  and  Hunterleys  left  the  res- 
taurant with  Felicia.  His  wife,  at  whom  he  glanced 
for  a  moment,  kept  her  head  averted.  She  was 
whispering  in  the  ear  of  the  gallant  Monsieur  Dou^ 
aille.  Selingman,  catching  Draconmeyer's  eye, 
winked  at  him  solemnly. 

"  You  have  all  the  luck,  my  silent  friend,"  he 
murmured. 


CHAPTER  XXXHI 

THE    FATES    ARE    KIND 

The  Bar  de  Montmartre  was  many  steps  under  the 
level  of  the  street,  dark,  smelly,  and  dilapidated. 
Its  only  occupants  were  a  handful  of  drivers  from 
the  carriage-stand  opposite,  who  stared  at  Hunter- 
leys  in  amazement  as  he  entered,  and  then  rushed  for- 
ward, almost  in  a  body,  to  offer  their  services.  The 
man  behind  the  bar,  however,  who  had  evidently  been 
forewarned,  intervened  with  a  few  sharp  words,  and, 
lifting  the  flap  of  the  counter,  ushered  Hunterleys 
into  a  little  room  beyond.  Frenhofer  was  engaged 
there  in  amiable  badinage  with  a  young  lady  who 
promptly  disappeared  at  Hunterleys'  entrance. 
Frenhofer  bowed  respectfully. 

"  I  must  apologise,"  he  said,  "  for  bringing  mon- 
sieur to  such  a  place.  It  is  near  the  end  now,  and 
with  Monsieur  Roche  in  the  hospital  I  ventured  to 
address  myself  to  monsieur  direct.  Here  I  have 
the  right  to  enter.  I  make  my  suit  to  the  daughter 
of  the  proprietor  in  order  to  have  a  safe  rendezvous 
when  necessary.  It  is  well  that  monsieur  has  come 
quickly.  I  have  tidings.  I  can  disclose  to  mon- 
sieur the  meeting-place  for  to-night.  If  monsieur 
has  fortune  and  the  wit  to  make  use  of  it,  the  oppor- 
tunity I  shall  give  him  is  a  great  one.  But  pardon 


326        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

me.  Before  we  talk  business  we  must  order  some- 
thing." 

He  touched  the  bell.  The  proprietor  himself 
thrust  in  his  head,  bullet-shaped,  with  black  mous- 
tache and  unshaven  chin.  He  wore  no  collar,  and 
the  remainder  of  his  apparel  was  negligible. 

"A  bottle  of  your  best  brandy,"  Frenhofer  or- 
dered. "  The  best,  mind,  Pere  Hanaut." 

The  man's  acquiescence  was  as  amiable  as  nature 
would  permit. 

"  Monsieur  will  excuse  me,"  Frenhofer  went  on,  as 
the  door  was  once  more  closed,  "  but  these  people 
have  their  little  ways.  To  sell  a  whole  bottle  of 
brandy  at  five  times  its  value,  is  to  Monsieur  le  Pro- 
prietaire  more  agreeable  than  to  offer  him  rent  for 
the  hire  of  his  room.  He  is  outside  all  the  things  in 
which  we  are  concerned.  He  believes  —  pardon  me, 
monsieur  —  that  we  are  engaged  in  a  little  smug- 
gling transaction.  Monsieur  Roche  and  I  have  used 
this  place  frequently." 

"  He  can  believe  what  he  likes,"  Hunterleys  re- 
plied, "  so  long  as  he  keeps  his  mouth  shut.5' 

The  brandy  was  brought  —  and  three  glasses. 
Frenhofer  promptly  took  the  hint  and,  filling  one  to 
the  brim,  held  it  out  to  the  landlord. 

"  You  will  drink  our  health,  Pere  Henaut  —  my 
health  and  the  health  of  monsieur  here,  and  the  health 
of  the  fair  Annette.  Incidentally,  you  will  drink  also 
to  the  success  of  the  little  scheme  which  monsieur  and 
I  are  planning." 

"  In  such  brandy,"  the  proprietor  declared 
hoarsely,  "  I  would  drink  to  the  devil  himself !  " 

He  threw  back  his  head  and  the  contents  of  his 


THE  FATES  ARE  KIND  327 

glass  vanished.  He  set  it  down  with  a  little  smack 
of  the  lips.  Once  more  he  looked  at  the  bottle. 
Frenhofer  filled  up  his  glass,  but  motioned  to  the 
door  with  his  head. 

"  You  will  excuse  us,  dear  friend,"  he  begged,  lay- 
ing his  hand  persuasively  upon  the  other's  shoulder. 
*'  Monsieur  and  I  have  little  enough  of  time." 

The  landlord  withdrew.  Frenhofer  walked  around 
the  little  apartment.  Their  privacy  was  certainly 
assured. 

"  Monsieur,"  he  announced,  turning  to  Hunterleys, 
"  there  has  been  a  great  discussion  as  to  the  next 
meeting-place  between  our  friends  —  the  next,  which 
will  be  also  the  last.  They  are  safe  enough  in  reality 
at  the  villa,  but  Monsieur  Douaille  is  nervous.  The 
affair  of  last  night  terrified  him.  The  reason  for 
these  things  I,  of  course,  know  nothing  of,  but  it 
seems  that  Monsieur  Douaille  is  very  anxious  indeed 
to  keep  his  association  with  my  august  master  and 
Herr  Selingman  as  secret  as  possible.  He  has  de- 
clined most  positively  to  set  foot  again  within  the 
Villa  Mimosa.  Many  plans  have  been  suggested. 
This  is  the  one  adopted.  For  some  weeks  a  German 
down  in  Monaco,  a  shipping  agent,  has  had  a  yacht 
in  the  harbour  for  hire.  He  has  approached  Mr. 
Grex  several  times,  not  knowing  his  identity;  ig- 
norant, indeed,  of  the  fact  that  the  Grand  Duke  him- 
self possesses  one  of  the  finest  yachts  afloat.  How- 
ever, that  is  nothing.  Mr.  Grex  thought  suddenly 
of  the  yacht.  He  suggested  it  to  the  others.  They 
were  enthusiastic.  The  yacht  is  to  be  hired  for  a 
week,  or  longer  if  necessary,  and  used  only  to-night. 
Behold  the  wonderful  good-fortune  of  the  affair* 


328        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

It  is  I  who  have  been  selected  by  my  master  to  pro- 
ceed to  Monaco  to  make  arrangements  with  the  Ger- 
man, Herr  Schwann.  I  am  on  my  way  there  at  the 
moment." 

"  A  yacht  ?  "  Hunterley s  repeated. 

"  There  are  wonderful  things  to  be  thought  of," 
Frenhofer  asserted  eagerly.  "  Consider,  monsieur ! 
The  yacht  of  this  man  Schwann  has  never  been  seen 
by  my  master.  Consider,  too,  that  aboard  her  there 
must  be  a  dozen  hiding-places.  The  crew  has  been 
brought  together  from  anywhere.  They  can  be 
bought  to  a  man.  There  is  only  one  point,  monsieur, 
which  should  be  arranged  before  I  enter  upon  this 
last  and,  for  me,  most  troublesome  and  dangerous 
enterprise." 

"  And  that  ?  "  Hunterleys  enquired. 

"  My  own  position,"  Frenhofer  declared  solemnly. 
*'  I  am  not  greedy  or  covetous.  My  ambitions  have 
long  been  fixed.  To  serve  an  Imperial  Russian  no- 
bleman has  been  no  pleasure  for  me.  St.  Petersburg 
has  been  a  prison.  I  have  been  moved  to  the  right 
or  to  the  left  as  a  machine.  It  is  as  a  machine  only 
I  have  lived.  Always  I  have  longed  for  Paris.  So 
month  by  month  I  have  saved.  After  to-night  I 
must  leave  my  master's  employ.  The  risk  will  be  too 
great  if  monsieur  indeed  accepts  my  proposition  and 
carries  it  out.  I  need  but  a  matter  of  ten  thousand 
francs  to  complete  my  savings." 

The  man's  white  face  shone  eagerly  in  the  dim 
light  of  the  gloomy  little  apartment.  His  eyes  glit- 
tered. He  waited  almost  breathlessly. 

"  Frenhofer,"  Hunterleys  said  slowly,  "  so  far  as 
I  have  been  concerned  indirectly  in  these  negotiations 


THE  FATES  ARE  KIND  329 

with  you,  my  instructions  to  my  agent  have  been  sim- 
ple and  definite.  We  have  never  haggled.  Your 
name  was  known  to  me  eight  years  ago,  when  you 
served  us  in  St.  Petersburg  and  served  us  well.  You 
have  done  the  same  thing  now  and  you  have  behaved 
with  rare  intelligence.  Within  the  course  of  an  hour 
I  shall  transfer  ten  thousand  francs  to  the  account 
of  Fran9ois  Frenhofer  at  the  English  Bank  here." 

The  eyes  of  the  man  seemed  suddenly  like  pin- 
pricks of  fire. 

"  Monsieur  is  a  prince,"  he  murmured.  "  And  now 
for  the  further  details.  If  monsieur  would  run  the 
risk,  I  would  suggest  that  he  accompanies  me  to  the 
office  of  this  man  Schwann." 

Hunterleys  made  no  immediate  reply.  He  was 
walking  up  and  down  the  narrow  apartment.  A 
brilliant  idea  had  taken  possession  of  him.  The 
more  he  thought  of  it,  the  more  feasible  it  became. 

"  Frenhofer,"  he  said  at  last,  "  I  have  a  scheme 
of  my  own.  You  are  sure  that  Mr.  Grex  has  never 
seen  this  yacht  ?  " 

"  He  has  never  set  eyes  upon  it,  monsieur,  save  to 
try  and  single  it  out  with  his  field-glasses  from  the 
balcony  of  the  villa." 

"  And  he  is  to  board  it  to-night  ?  " 

"  At  ten  o'clock  to-night,  monsieur,  it  is  to  lie  off 
the  Villa  Mimosa.  A  pinnace  is  to  fetch  Mr.  Grex 
and  his  friends  on  board  from  the  private  landing- 
stage  of  the  Villa  Mimosa." 

Hunterleys  nodded  thoughtfully. 

"  Frenhofer,"  he  explained,  "  my  scheme  is  this. 
A  friend  of  mine  has  a  yacht  in  the  harbour.  I  be- 
lieve that  he  would  lend  it  to  me.  Why  should  we 


330        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

not  substitute  it  for  the  yacht  your  master  imagines 
that  he  is  hiring?  If  so,  all  difficulties  as  to  placing 
whom  I  desire  on  board  and  secreting  them  are  over." 

"  It  is  a  great  scheme,"  Frenhofer  assented,  "  but 
supposing  my  master  should  choose  to  telephone 
some  small  detail  to  the  office  of  the  man  Schwann  ?  " 

"  You  must  hire  the  yacht  of  Schwann,  just  as  you 
were  instructed,"  Hunterleys  pointed  out.  "  You 
must  give  orders,  though,  that  it  is  not  to  leave  the 
harbour  until  telephoned  for.  Then  it  will  be  the 
yacht  which  I  shall  borrow  which  will  lie  off  the  Villa 
Mimosa  to-night." 

"  It  is  admirable,"  Frenhofer  declared.  "  The 
more  one  thinks  of  it,  the  more  one  appreciates. 
This  yacht  of  Schwann's  —  the  Christable,  he  calls 
it  —  was  fitted  out  by  a  millionaire.  My  master 
will  be  surprised  at  nothing  in  the  way  of  luxury." 

"  Tell  me  again,"  Hunterleys  asked,  "  at  what 
hour  is  it  to  be  off  the  Villa  Mimosa  ?  " 

"  At  ten  o'clock,"  Frenhofer  replied.  "  A  pinnace 
is  to  be  at  the  landing-stage  of  the  villa  at  that  time. 
Mr.  Grex,  Monsieur  Douaille,  Herr  Selingman,  and 
Mr.  Draconmeyer  will  come  on  board." 

"  Very  good !  Now  go  on  your  errand  to  the  man 
Schwann.  You  had  better  meet  me  here  later  in  the 
afternoon  —  say  at  four  o'clock  —  and  let  me  know 
that  all  is  in  order.  I  will  bring  you  some  particu- 
lars about  my  friend's  boat,  so  that  you  will  know 
how  to  answer  any  questions  your  master  may  put 
to  you." 

"  It  is  admirable,"  Frenhofer  repeated  enthusi- 
astically. "  Monsieur  had  better,  perhaps,  precede 
me." 


THE  FATES  ARE  KIND  331 

Hunterleys  walked  through  the  streets  back  to 
Giro's  Restaurant,  filled  with  a  new  exhilaration. 
His  eyes  were  bright,  his  brain  was  working  all  the 
time.  The  luncheon-party  at  the  next  table  were 
still  in  the  midst  of  their  meal.  Mr.  Simpson  was 
smoking  a  meditative  cigarette  with  his  coffee.  Hun- 
terleys resumed  his  place  and  ordered  coffee  for  him- 
self. 

"  I  have  been  to  see  a  poor  friend  who  met  with  an 
accident  last  night,"  he  announced,  speaking  as 
clearly  as  possible.  "  I  fear  that  he  is  very  ill. 
That  was  his  sister  who  fetched  me  away." 

Mr.  Simpson  nodded  sympathetically.  Their  con- 
versation for  a  few  minutes  was  desultory.  Then 
Hunterleys  asked  for  the  bill  and  rose. 

"  I  will  take  you  round  to  the  Club  and  get  your 
carte"  he  suggested.  "  Afterwards,  we  can  spend 
the  afternoon  as  you  choose." 

The  two  men  strolled  out  of  the  place.  It  was 
not  until  after  they  had  left  the  arcade  and  were 
actually  in  the  street,  that  Hunterleys  gripped  his 
companion's  arm. 

"  Simpson,"  he  declared,  "  the  fates  have  been  kind 
to  us.  Douaille  has  a  fit  of  the  nerves.  He  will  go 
no  more  to  the  Villa  Mimosa.  Seeking  about  for 
the  safest  meeting-place,  Grex  has  given  us  a  chance. 
The  only  one  of  his  servants  who  belongs  to  us  is 
commissioned  to  hire  a  yacht  on  which  they  meet  to- 
night." 

"  A  yacht,"  Mr.  Simpson  replied,  emptily. 

"  I  have  a  friend,"  Hunterleys  continued,  "  an 
American.  I  am  convinced  that  he  will  lend  me  his 
yacht,  which  is  lying  in  the  harbour  here.  We  are 


33«        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

going  to  try  and  exchange.  If  we  succeed,  I  shall 
have  the  run  of  the  boat.  The  crew  will  be  at  our 
command,  and  I  shall  get  to  that  conference  myself, 
somehow  or  other." 

Mr.  Simpson  felt  himself  left  behind.  He  could 
only  stare  at  his  companion. 

"  Tell  me,  Sir  Henry,"  he  begged,  almost  pathet- 
ically, "have  I  walked  into  an  artificial  world?  Do 
you  mean  to  tell  me  seriously  that  you,  a  Member  of 
Parliament,  an  ex-Minister,  are  engaged  upon  a 
scheme  to  get  the  Grand  Duke  Augustus  and  Dou- 
aille  and  Selingman  on  board  a  yacht,  and  that  you 
are  going  to  be  there,  concealed,  turned  into  a  spy? 
I  can't  keep  up  with  it.  As  fiction  it  seems  to  me  to 
be  in  the  clouds.  As  truth,  why,  my  understand- 
ing turns  and  mocks  me.  You  are  talking  fairy- 
tales." 

Hunterleys  smiled  tolerantly. 

"  The  man  in  the  street  knows  very  little  of  the 
real  happenings  in  life,"  he  pronounced.  "  The  truth 
has  a  queer,  way  sometimes  of  spreading  itself  out 
into  the  realms  of  fiction.  Come  across  here  with  me 
to  the  hotel.  I  have  got  to  move  heaven  and  earth 
to  find  my  friend." 

"  Do  with  me  as  you  like,"  Mr.  Simpson  sighed  re- 
signedly. "  In  a  plain  political  discussion,  or  an 
argument  with  Monsieur  Douaille  —  well,  I  am  ready 
to  bear  my  part.  But  this  sort  of  thing  lifts  me  off 
my  feet.  I  can  only  trot  along  at  your  heels." 

They  entered  the  Hotel  de  Paris.  Hunterleys 
made  a  few  breathless  enquiries.  Nothing,  alas !  was 
known  of  Mr.  Richard  Lane.  He  came  back,  frown- 
ing, to  the  steps  of  the  hotel. 


THE  FATES  ARE  KIND  333 

"  If  he  is  up  playing  golf  at  La  Turbie,"  Hunter- 
leys  muttered,  "  we  shall  barely  have  time." 

A  reception  clerk  tapped  him  on  the  shoulder. 
He  turned  abruptly  around. 

"  I  have  just  made  an  enquiry  of  the  floor  waiter," 
the  clerk  announced.  "  He  believes  that  Mr.  Lane 
is  still  in  his  room." 

Hunterleys  thanked  the  man  and  hurried  to  the 
lift.  In  a  few  moments  he  was  knocking  at  the  door 
of  Lane's  rooms.  His  heart  gave  a  great  jump  as  a 
familiar  voice  bade  him  enter.  He  stepped  inside 
and  closed  the  door  behind  him.  Richard,  in  light 
blue  pyjamas,  sat  up  in  bed  and  looked  at  his  visitor 
with  a  huge  yawn. 

"  Say,  old  chap,  are  you  in  a  hurry  or  anything?  " 
he  demanded. 

"  Do  you  know  the  time  ?  "  Hunterleys  asked. 

"  No  idea,"  the  other  replied.  "  The  valet  called 
me  at  eight.  I  told  him  I'd  shoot  him  if  he  disturbed 
one  again." 

"  It's  nearly  three  o'clock ! "  Hunterleys  declared 
impressively. 

"  Can't  help  it,"  Richard  yawned,  throwing  off  the 
bed-clothes  and  sitting  on  the  edge  of  the  bed.  "  I 
am  young  and  delicate  and  I  need  my  rest.  Seri- 
ously, Hunterleys,"  he  added,  "  you  take  a  chap  out 
and  make  Kim  drive  you  at  sixty  miles  an  hour5 
all  through  the  night,  you  keep  him  at  it  till  nearly 
six  in  the  morning,  and  you  seem  to  think  it  a  trag- 
edy to  find  him  in  bed  at  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. Hang  it,  I've  only  had  eight  hours'  sleep ! " 

"  I  don't  care  how  long  you've  had,"  Hunterleys 
rejoined.  "  I  am  only  too  thankful  to  find  you. 


334        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Now  listen.     Is  your  brain  working?     Can  you  talk 
seriously  ?  " 

*'  I  guess  so." 

"  You  remember  our  talk  last  night?  " 

"  Every  word  of  it." 

"  The  time  has  come,"  Hunterleys  continued, — 
"  your  time,  I  mean.  You  said  that  if  you  could 
take  a  hand,  you'd  do  it.  I  am  here  to  beg  for  your 
help." 

"  You  needn't  waste  your  breath  doing  that," 
Richard  answered  firmly.  "  I'm  your  man.  Go 
on." 

"  Listen,"  Hunterleys  proceeded.  "  Is  your  yacht 
in  commission?  " 

"  Ready  to  sail  at  ten  minutes'  notice,"  the  young 
man  assured  him  emphatically,  "  victualled  and 
coaled  to  the  eyelids.  To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  have 
some  idea  of  abducting  Fedora  to-day  or  to-mor 
row." 

"  You'll  have  to  postpone  that,"  Hunterleys  told 
him.  "  I  want  to  borrow  the  yacht." 

"  She's  yours,"  Richard  assented  promptly.  "  I'll 
give  you  a  note  to  the  captain." 

"  Look  here,  I  want  you  to  understand  this 
clearly,"  Hunterleys  went  on.  "  If  you  lend  me  the 
Minnehdha,  well,  you  commit  yourself  a  bit.  You 
see,  it's  like  this.  I've  one  man  of  my  own  in  Grex's 
household.  He  came  to  me  this  morning.  Monsieur 
Douaille  objects  to  cross  again  the  threshold  of  the 
Villa  Mimosa.  He  fears  the  English  newspapers. 
There  has  been  a  long  discussion  as  to  the  next  meet- 
ing-place. Grex  suggested  a  yacht.  To  that  they 
all  agreed.  There  is  a  man  named  Schwann  down  i» 


THE  FATES  ARE  KIND  335 

Monaco  has  a  yacht  for  hire.  Mr.  Grex  knows  about 
it  and  he  has  sent  the  man  I  spoke  of  into  Monaco 
this  afternoon  to  hire  it.  They  are  all  going  to  em- 
bark at  ten  o'clock  to-night.  They  are  going  to 
hold  their  meeting  in  the  cabin.'* 

Lane  whistled  softly.     He  was  wide  awake  now. 

"  Go  on,"  he  murmured.  "  Go  on.  Say,  this  is 
great ! " 

"  I  want,"  Hunterleys  explained,  "  your  yacht  to 
take  the  place  of  the  other.  I  want  it  to  be  off  the 
Villa  Mimosa  at  ten  o'clock  to-night,  your  pinnace 
to  be  at  the  landing-stage  of  the  villa  to  bring  Mr. 
Grex  and  his  friends  on  board.  I  want  you  to  haul 
down  your  American  flag,  keep  your  American  sailors 
out  of  sight,  cover  up  the  Stars  and  Stripes  in  your 
cabin,  have  only  your  foreign  stewards  on  show. 
Schwann's  yacht  is  a  costly  one.  No  one  will  know 
the  difference.  You  must  get  up  now  and  show  me 
over  the  boat.  I  have  to  scheme,  somehow  or  other, 
how  we  can  hide  ourselves  on  it  so  that  I  can  over- 
hear the  end  of  this  plot." 

The  face  of  Richard  Lane  was  like  the  face  of  an 
ingenuous  boy  who  sees  suddenly  a  Paradise  of  sport 
stretched  out  before  him.  His  mouth  was  open,  his 
eyes  gleaming. 

"  Gee,  but  this  is  glorious !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  I'm 
with  you  all  the  way.  Why,  it's  wonderful,  man! 
It's  a  chapter  from  the  Arabian  Nights  over  again !  " 

He  leapt  to  his  feet  and  rang  the  bell  furiously. 
Then  he  rushed  to  the  telephone. 

"  Blue  serge  clothes,"  he  ordered  the  valet.  "  Get 
my  bath  ready." 

"  Any  breakfast,  monsieur  ?  " 


336        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Oh,  breakfast  be  hanged !  No,  wait  a  moment. 
Get  me  some  coffee  and  a  roll.  I'll  take  it  while  I 
dress.  Hurry  up !  .  .  .  Yes,  is  that  the  enquiry  of- 
fice? This  is  Mr.  Lane.  Send  round  to  my  chauf- 
feur at  the  garage  at  once  and  tell  him  that  I  want 
the  car  at  the  door  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  Righto ! 
.  .  .  Sit  down,  Hunterleys.  Smoke  or  do  whatever 
you  want  to.  We'll  be  off  to  the  yacht  in  no  time." 

Hunterleys  clapped  the  young  giant  on  the  shoul- 
ders as  he  rushed  through  to  the  bathroom. 

"You're  a  brick,  Richard,"  he  declared.  "I'll 
wait  for  you  down  in  the  hall.  I've  a  pal  there." 

"  I'll  be  down  in  twenty  minutes  or  earlier,"  Lane 
promised.  "  What  a  lark ! " 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

COFFEE    FOE    ONE    ONLY 

The  breaking  up  of  Mr.  Grex's  luncheon-party  was 
the  signal  for  a  certain  amount  of  manoeuvring  on 
the  part  of  one  or  two  of  his  guests.  Monsieur 
Douaille,  for  instance,  was  anxious  to  remain  the 
escort  of  Lady  Hunterleys,  whose  plans  for  the  after- 
noon he  had  ascertained  were  unformed.  Mr.  Grex 
was  anxious  to  keep  apart  his  daughter  and  Lady 
Weybourne,  whose  relationship  to  Richard  Lane 
he  had  only  just  apprehended;  while  he  himself  de- 
sired a  little  quiet  conversation  with  Monsieur  Doua- 
ille before  they  paid  the  visit  which  had  been  arranged 
for  to  the  Club  and  the  Casino.  In  the  end,  Mr. 
Grex  was  both  successful  and  unsuccessful.  He  car- 
ried off  Monsieur  Douaille  for  a  short  ride  in  his 
automobile,  but  was  forced  to  leave  his  daughter 
and  Lady  Weybourne  alone.  Draconmeyer,  who  had 
been  awaiting  his  opportunity,  remained  by  Lady 
Hunterleys'  side. 

"  I  wonder,"  he  asked,  "  whether  you  would  step 
in  for  a  few  minutes  and  see  Linda  ?  " 

She  had  been  looking  at  the  table  where  her  hus- 
band and  his  companion  had  been  seated.  Dracon- 
meyer's  voice  seemed  to  bring  her  back  to  a  present 
not  altogether  agreeable. 


338        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  I  am  going  back  to  my  room  for  a  little  time,'* 
she  replied.  "  I  will  call  in  and  see  Linda  first,  if 
you  like." 

They  left  the  restaurant  together  and  strolled 
across  the  Square  to  the  Hotel  de  Paris,  ascended  in 
the  lift,  and  made  their  way  to  Draconmeyer's  suite 
of  rooms  in  a  silence  which  was  almost  unbroken. 
When  they  entered  the  large  salon  with  its  French- 
windows  and  balcony,  they  found  the  apartment  de- 
serted. Violet  looked  questioningly  at  her  compan- 
ion. He  closed  the  door  behind  him  and  nodded. 

"  Yes,"  he  admitted,  "  my  message  was  a  subter- 
fuge. I  have  sent  Linda  over  to  Mentone  with  her 
nurse.  She  will  not  be  back  until  late  in  the  after- 
noon. This  is  the  opportunity  for  which  I  have 
been  waiting." 

She  showed  no  signs  of  anger  or,  indeed,  disturb- 
ance of  any  sort.  She  laid  her  tiny  white  silk  para- 
sol upon  the  table  and  glanced  at  him  coolly. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  you  have  your  way,  then.  I 
am  here." 

Draconmeyer  looked  at  her  long  and  anxiously. 
Skilled  though  he  was  in  physiognomy,  closely  though 
he  had  watched,  for  many  months,  the  lights  and 
shades,  the  emotional  changes  in  her  expression,  he 
was  yet,  at  that  moment,  completely  puzzled.  She 
was  not  angry.  Her  attitude  seemed  to  be,  in  a 
sense,  passive.  Yet  what  did  passivity  mean?  Was 
it  resignation,  consent,  or  was  it  simply  the  armour 
of  normal  resistance  in  which  she  had  clothed  herself? 
Was  he  wise,  after  all,  to  risk  everything?  Then, 
as  he  looked  at  her,  as  he  realised  her  close  and  won- 
derful presence,  he  suddenly  told  himself  that  it  was 


COFFEE  FOR  ONE  ONLY  339 

worth  while  risking  even  Heaven  in  the  future  for  the 
joy  of  holding  her  for  once  in  his  arms.  She  had 
never  seemed  to  him  so  maddeningly  beautiful  as  at 
that  moment.  It  was  one  of  the  hottest  days  of  the 
season  and  she  was  wearing  a  gown  of  white  muslin, 
curiously  simple,  enhancing,  somehow  or  other,  her 
fascinating  slimness,  a  slimness  which  had  nothing  to 
do  with  angularity  but  possessed  its  own  soft  and 
giaceful  curves.  Her  eyes  were  bluer  even  than  her 
turquoise  brooch  or  the  gentians  in  her  hat.  And 
while  his  heart  was  aching  and  throbbing  with  doubts 
and  hopes,  she  suddenly  smiled  at  him. 

"  I  am  going  to  sit  down,"  she  announced  care- 
lessly. "  Please  say  to  me  just  what  is  in  your  mind, 
without  reserve.  It  will  be  better." 

She  threw  herself  into  a  low  chair  near  the  window. 
Her  hands  were  folded  in  her  lap.  Her  eyes,  for 
some  reason,  were  fixed  upon  her  wedding  ring.  Swift 
to  notice  even  her  slightest  action,  he  frowned  as  he 
discerned  the  direction  of  her  gaze. 

"  Violet,"  he  said,  "  I  think  that  you  are  right.  I 
think  that  the  time  has  come  when  I  must  tell  you 
what  is  in  my  mind." 

She  raised  her  eyebrows  slightly  at  the  sound  of  her 
Christian  name.  He  moved  over  and  stood  by  her 
chair. 

"  For  a  good  many  years,"  he  began  slowly,  "  I 
have  been  a  man  with  a  purpose.  When  it  first  came 
into  my  mind  —  not  willingly  —  its  accomplishment 
seemed  utterly  hopeless.  Still,  it  was  there.  Strong 
man  though  I  am,  I  could  not  root  it  out.  I  waited. 
There  was  nothing  else  to  do  but  wait.  From  that 
moment  my  life  was  divided.  My  whole-soul  devo- 


340        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

tion  to  worldly  affairs  was  severed.  I  had  one  dream 
that  was  more  wonderful  to  me,  even,  than  complete 
success  in  the  great  undertaking  which  brought  me 
to  London.  That  dream  was  connected  with  you, 
Violet." 

She  moved  a  little  uneasily,  as  though  the  repeti- 
tion of  her  Christian  name  grated.  This  time,  how- 
ever, he  was  rapt  in  his  subject. 

"  I  won't  make  excuses,"  he  went  on.  "  You  know 
what  Linda  is  —  what  she  has  been  for  ten  years.  I 
have  tried  to  be  kind  to  her.  As  to  love,  I  never  had 
any.  Ours  was  an  alliance  between  two  great  mon- 
ied  families,  arranged  for  us,  acquiesced  in  by  both  of 
us  as  a  matter  of  course.  It  seemed  to  me  in  those 
days  the  most  natural  and  satisfactory  form  of  mar- 
riage. I  looked  upon  myself  as  others  have  thought 
me  —  a  cold,  bloodless  man  of  figures  and  ambition. 
It  is  you  who  have  taught  me  that  I  have  as  much  sen- 
timent and  more  than  other  men,  a  heart  and  desires 
which  have  made  life  sometimes  hell  and  sometimes 
paradise.  For  two  years  I  have  struggled.  Life 
with  me  has  been  a  sort  of  passionate  compromise. 
For  the  joy  of  seeing  you  sometimes,  of  listening  to 
you  and  watching  you,  I  have  borne  the  agony  of 
having  you  leave  me  to  take  your  place  with  another 
man.  You  don't  quite  know  what  that  meant,  and  I 
am  not  going  to  tell  you,  but  always  I  have  hoped 
and  hoped." 

"  And  now,"  she  said,  looking  at  him,  "  I  owe  you 
four  thousand  pounds  and  you  think,  perhaps,  that 
your  time  has  come  to  speak?  " 

He  shivered  as  though  she  had  struck  him  a  blow. 

"  You  think,"  he  exclaimed,  "  that  I  am  a  man  of 


COFFEE  FOR  ONE  ONLY  341 

pounds,  shillings,  and  pence!  Is  it  my  fault  that 
you  owe  me  money?  " 

He  snatched  her  cheques  from  his  inner  pocket  and 
ripped  them  in  pieces,  lit  a  match  and  watched  them 
while  they  smouldered  away.  She,  too,  watched  with 
emotionless  face. 

"  Do  you  think  that  I  want  to  buy  you  ?  "  he  de- 
manded. "  There !  You  are  free  from  your  money 
claims.  You  can  leave  my  room  this  moment,  if  you 
will,  and  owe  me  nothing." 

She  made  no  movement,  yet  he  was  vaguely  dis- 
turbed by  a  sense  of  having  made  but  little  progress, 
a  terrible  sense  of  impending  failure.  His  fingers 
began  to  tremble,  his  face  was  the  face  of  a  man 
stretched  upon  the  rack. 

"  Perhaps  those  words  of  mine  were  false,"  he  went 
on.  "  Perhaps,  in  a  sense,  I  do  want  to  buy  you, 
buy  the  little  kindnesses  that  go  with  affection,  buy 
your  kind  words,  the  touch  sometimes  of  your  fin- 
gers, the  pleasant  sense  of  companionship  I  feel 
when  I  am  with  you.  I  know  how  proud  you  are. 
I  know  how  virtuous  you  are.  I  know  that  it's  there 
in  your  blood,  the  Puritan  instinct,  the  craving  for 
the  one  man  to  whom  you  have  given  yourself,  the 
involuntary  shrinking  from  the  touch  of  any  other. 
Good  women  are  like  that  —  wives  or  mistresses. 
Mind,  in  a  sense  it's  narrow ;  in  a  sense  it's  splendid. 
Listen  to  me.  I  don't  want  to  declare  war  against 
that  instinct  —  yet.  I  can't.  Perhaps,  even  now, 
I  have  spoken  too  soon,  craved  too  soon  for  the  little 
I  do  ask.  Yet  God  knows  I  can  keep  the  seal  upon 
my  lips  no  longer!  Don't  let  us  misunderstand  one 
another  for  the  sake  of  using  plain  words.  I  am  not 


342        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

asking  you  to  be  my  mistress.  I  ask  you,  on  my 
knees,  to  take  from  me  what  makes  life  brighter  for 
you.  I  ask  you  for  the  other  things  only  —  for  your 
confidence,  for  your  affection,  your  companionship. 
I  ask  to  see  you  every  day  that  it  is  possible,  to  know 
that  you  are  wearing  my  gifts,  surrounded  by  my 
flowers,  the  rough  places  in  your  life  made  smooth  by 
my  efforts.  I  am  your  suppliant,  Violet.  I  ask 
only  for  the  crumbs  that  fall  from  your  table,  so 
long  as  no  other  man  sits  by  your  side.  Violet,  can't 
you  give  me  as  much  as  this  ?  " 

His  hand,  hot  and  trembling,  sought  hers,  touched 
and  gripped  it.  She  drew  her  fingers  away.  It  was 
curious  how  in  those  few  moments  she  seemed  to  be 
gifted  with  an  immense  clear-sightedness.  She  knew 
very  well  that  nothing  about  the  man  was  honest  save 
the  passion  of  which  he  did  not  speak.  She  rose 
to  her  feet. 

"  Well,"  she  said,  "  I  have  listened  to  you  very  pa- 
tiently. If  I  owe  you  any  excuse  for  having  ap- 
peared to  encourage  any  one  of  those  thoughts  of 
which  you  speak,  here  it  is.  I  am  like  thousands  of 
other  women.  I  absolutely  don't  know  until  the  time 
comes  what  sort  of  a  creature  I  am,  how  I  shall  be 
moved  to  act  under  certain  circumstances.  I  tried 
to  think  last  night.  I  couldn't.  I  felt  that  I  had 
gone  half-way.  I  had  taken  your  money.  I  had 
taken  it,  too,  understanding  what  it  means  to  be  in 
a  man's  debt.  And  still  I  waited.  And  now  I  know. 
I  won't  even  question  your  sincerity.  I  won't  even 
suggest  that  you  would  not  be  content  with  what  you 
ask  for — " 

"  I  have  sworn  it !  "  he  interrupted  hoarsely.     "  To 


COFFEE  FOR  ONE  ONLY  343 

be  your  favoured  friend,  to  be  allowed  near  you  — 
your  guardian,  if  you  will — " 

The  words  failed  him.  Something  in  her  face 
checked  his  eloquence. 

"  I  can  tell  you  this  now  and  for  always,"  she  con- 
tinued. "  I  have  nothing  to  give  you.  What  you 
ask  for  is  just  as  impossible  as  though  you  were  to 
walk  in  your  picture  gallery  and  kneel  before  your 
great  masterpiece  and  beg  Beatrice  herself  to  step 
down  from  the  canvas.  I  began  to  wonder  yester- 
day," she  went  on,  rising  abruptly  and  moving 
across  the  room,  "  whether  I  really  was  that  sort 
of  woman.  With  your  money  in  my  pocket  and  the 
gambling  fever  in  my  pulses,  I  began  even  to  believe 
it.  And  now  I  know  that  I  am  not.  Good-bye, 
Mr.  Draconmeyer.  I  don't  blame  you.  On  the 
whole,  perhaps,  you  have  behaved  quite  well.  I  think 
that  you  have  chosen  to  behave  well  because  that 
wonderful  brain  of  yours  told  you  that  it  gave  you 
the  best  chance.  That  doesn't  really  matter, 
though." 

He  took  a  quick,  almost  a  threatening  step  to^ 
wards  her.  His  face  was  dark  with  all  the  pa$» 
sions  which  had  preyed  upon  the  man. 

"  There  is  a  man's  last  resource,"  he  muttered 
thickly. 

"  And  there  is  a  woman's  answer  to  it,"  she  replied, 
her  finger  suddenly  resting  upon  an  unsuspected  b^ll 
in  the  wall. 

They  both  heard  its  summons.  Footsteps  came 
hurrying  along  the  corridor.  Draconmeyer  turned 
his  head  away,  struggling  to  compose  himself.  A 
waiter  entered.  Lady  Hunterleys  picked  up  her  par- 


344        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

asol  and  moved  towards  the  door.  The  man  stood 
on  one  side  with  a  bow. 

"  Here  is  the  waiter  you  rang  for,  Mr.  Dracon- 
meyer,"  she  remarked,  looking  over  his  shoulder. 
"  Wasn't  it  coffee  you  wanted?  Tell  Linda  I'll  hope 
to  see  her  sometime  this  evening." 

She  strolled  away.  The  waiter  remained  patiently 
upon  the  threshold. 

"  Coffee  for  one  or  two,  sir?  "  he  enquired. 

Mr.  Draconmeyer  struggled  for  a  moment  against 
a  torrent  of  words  which  scorched  his  lips.  In  the 
end,  however,  he  triumphed. 

"For  one,  with  cream,"  he  ordered. 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

A    NEW   MAP    OF    THE    EARTH 

Selingman,  who  was  leaning  back  in  a  leather- 
padded  chair  and  smoking  a  very  excellent  cigar, 
looked  around  at  his  companions  with  a  smile  of 
complete  approval. 

"  Our  host,"  he  declared,  bowing  to  Mr.  Grex, 
"  has  surpassed  himself.  For  a  hired  yacht  I  have 
seen  nothing  more  magnificent.  A  Cabinet  Moselle, 
Flor  de  Cuba  cigars,  the  best  of  company,  and  an 
isolation  beyond  all  question.  What  place  could 
suit  us  better  ?  " 

There  was  a  little  murmur  of  assent.  The  four 
men  were  seated  together  in  the  wonderfully  deco- 
rated saloon  of  what  was,  beyond  doubt,  a  most  lux- 
urious yacht.  Through  the  open  porthole  were  vis- 
ible, every  few  moments,  as  the  yacht  rose  and  sank 
on  the  swell,  the  long  line  of  lights  which  fringed  the 
shore  between  Monte  Carlo  and  Mentone;  the  moun- 
tains beyond,  with  tiny  lights  flickering  like  spangles 
in  a  black  mantle  of  darkness ;  and  further  round  still, 
the  stream  of  light  from  the  Casino,  reflected  far 
and  wide  upon  the  black  waters. 

"  None,"  Mr.  Grex  asserted  confidently.  K  We 
are  at  least  beyond  reach  of  these  bungling  English 
spies.  There  is  no  further  fear  of  eavesdroppers. 
We  are  entirely  alone.  Each  may  speak  his  own 


346        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

mind.  There  is  nothing  to  be  feared  in  the  way  of 
interruption.  I  trust,  Monsieur  Douaille,  that  you 
appreciate  the  altered  circumstances." 

Monsieur  Douaille,  who  was  looking  very  much 
more  at  his  ease,  assented  without  hesitation. 

"  I  must  confess,"  he  agreed,  "  that  the  isolation 
we  now  enjoy  is,  to  a  certain  extent,  reassuring. 
Here  we  need  no  longer  whisper.  One  may  listen 
carefully.  One  may  weigh  well  what  is  said.  Sooner 
or  later  we  must  come  to  the  crucial  point.  This, 
if  you  like,  is  a  game  of  make-believe.  Then,  in 
make-believe,  Germany  has  offered  to  restore  Alsace, 
and  Lorraine,  has  offered  to  hold  all  French  territory 
as  sacred,  provided  France  allows  her  to  occupy 
Calais  for  one  year.  What  is  your  object,  Herr  Se- 
lingman?  Do  you  indeed  wish  to  invade  England?  " 

Selingman  poured  himself  out  a  glass  of  wine  from 
the  bottle  which  stood  at  his  elbow. 

"  Good !  "  he  said.  "  We  have  come  to  plain  ques- 
tions. I  answer  in  plain  speech.  I  will  tell  you  now, 
in  a  few  words,  all  that  remains  to  be  told.  Ger- 
many has  no  desire  to  invade  Great  Britain.  If  one 
may  believe  the  newspapers,  there  is  scarcely  an  Eng- 
lishman alive  who  would  credit  this  simple  fact,  but 
it  is  nevertheless  true.  Commercially,  England,  and 
a  certain  measure  of  English  prosperity,  are  neces- 
sary to  Germany.  Geographically,  there  are  cer- 
tain risks  to  be  run  in  an  invasion  of  that  country, 
which  we  do  not  consider  worth  while.  Besides,  an 
invasion,  even  a  successful  one,  would  result  in  mak- 
ing an  everlasting  and  a  bitter  enemy  of  Great  Brit- 
ain. We  learnt  our  lesson  when  we  took  territory 
from  France.  We  do  not  need  to  repeat  it.  Sev- 


A  NEW  MAP  OF  THE  EARTH         347 

eral  hundred  thousands  of  our  most  worthy  citizens 
are  finding  an  honest  and  prosperous  living  in  Lon- 
don. Several  thousands  of  our  merchants  are  in 
business  there,  and  prospering.  Several  hundreds  of 
our  shrewdest  men  of  affairs  are  making  fortunes 
upon  the  London  Stock  Exchange.  Therefore,  we 
do  not  wish  to  conquer  England.  Commercially, 
that  conquest  is  already  affected.  I  want  you,  Mon- 
sieur Douaille,  to  absolutely  understand  this,  because 
it  may  affect  your  views.  What  we  do  require  is  to 
strike  a  long  and  lasting  blow  at  the  navy  of  Great 
Britain.  As  a  somewhat  larger  Holland,  Great 
Britain  is  welcome  to  a  peaceful  existence.  When 
she  lords  it  over  the  world,  talks  of  an  Empire  upon 
which  the  sun  never  sets,  then  the  time  arrives  when 
we  are  forced  to  interfere.  Great  Britain  has  pos- 
sessions which  she  is  not  strong  enough  to  hold.  Ger- 
many is  strong  enough  to  wrest  them  from  her,  and 
means  to  do  so.  The  English  fleet  must  be  destroyed. 
South  Africa,  then,  will  come  to  Germany,  India  to 
Russia,  Egypt  to  France.  The  rest  follows  as  a 
matter  of  course." 

"  And  what  is  the  rest  ? "  Monsieur  Douaille 
asked. 

Herr  Selingman  was  content  no  longer  to  sit  in 
his  place.  He  rose  to  his  feet.  His  face  had  fallen 
into  different  lines.  His  eyes  flashed,  his  words  were 
inspired. 

**  The  rest,"  he  declared,  "  is  the  crux  of  the  whole 
matter.  It  is  the  one  great  and  settled  goal  to- 
wards which  we  who  have  understood  have  schemed 
and  fought  our  way.  With  the  British  Navy  de- 
stroyed, the  Monroe  Doctrine  is  not  worth  a  sheet 


348        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

of  writing-paper.  South  America  is  Germany's  nat- 
ural heritage,  by  every  right  worth  considering.  It 
is  our  people's  gold  which  founded  the  Argentine  Re- 
public, the  brains  of  our  people  which  control  its 
destinies.  Our  Eldorado  is  there,  Monsieur  Dou- 
aille.  That  is  the  country  which,  sooner  or  later, 
Germany  must  possess.  We  look  nowhere  else.  We 
covet  no  other  of  our  neighbours'  possessions.  Only 
I  say  that  the  sooner  America  makes  up  her  mind  to 
the  sacrifice,  the  better.  Her  Monroe  Doctrine  is 
all  very  well  for  the  Northern  States.  When  she 
presumes  to  quote  it  as  a  pretext  for  keeping  Ger- 
many from  her  natural  place  in  South  America,  she 
crosses  swords  with  us.  Now  you  know  the  truth, 
and  the  whole  truth.  You  know,  Monsieur  Douaille, 
what  we  require  from  you,  and  you  know  your  re- 
ward. Our  host  has  already  told  you,  and  will  tell 
you  again  as  often  as  you  like,  the  feeling  of  his  own 
country.  The  Franco-Russian  alliance  is  already 
doomed.  It  falls  to  pieces  through  sheer  lack  of 
common  interests.  The  entente  cordiale  is  simply 
a  fetter  and  a  dead  weight  upon  you.  Monsieur 
Douaille,  I  put  it  to  you  as  a  man  of  common  sense. 
Do  you  think  that  you,  as  a  statesman  —  you  see,  I 
will  put  the  burden  upon  your  shoulders,  because,  if 
you  choose,  you  can  speak  for  your  country  —  do 
you  think  that  you  have  a  right  to  refuse  from  Ger- 
many the  return  of  Alsace  and  Lorraine?  Do  you 
think  that  you  can  look  your  country  in  the  face 
if  you  refuse  on  her  behalf  the  greatest  gift  which 
has  ever  yet  been  offered  to  any  nation  —  the  gift 
of  Egypt?  The  old  alliances  are  out  of  date.  The 
balance  of  power  has  shifted.  I  ask  you,  Monsieur 


A  NEW  MAP  OF  THE  EARTH        349 

Douaille,  as  you  value  the  prosperity  and  welfare 
of  your  country,  to  weigh  what  I  have  said  and  what 
our  great  Russian  friend  has  said,  word  by  word. 
England  has  made  no  sacrifices  for  you.  Why  should 
you  sacrifice  yourself  for  her  ?  " 

Monsieur  Douaille  stroked  his  little  grey  imperial. 

"  That  is  well  enough,"  he  muttered,  "  but  with- 
out the  English  Navy  the  balance  of  power  upon  the 
Continent  is  entirely  upset." 

"  The  balance  of  power  only  according  to  the  pres- 
ent grouping  of  interests,"  Mr.  Grex  pointed  out. 
"  Selingman  has  shown  us  how  these  must  change. 
Frankly,  although  no  one  can  fail  to  realise  the  im- 
mense importance  of  South  America  as  a  colonising 
centre,  it  is  my  honest  opinion  that  the  nation  who 
scores  most  by  my  friend  Selingman's  plans,  is  not 
Germany  but  France.  Think  what  it  means  to  her. 
Instead  of  being  a  secondary  Power,  she  will  of  her 
own  might  absolutely  control  the  Mediterranean. 
Egypt,  with  its  vast  possibilities,  its  ever-elastic 
boundary,  falls  to  her  hand.  Malta  and  Cyprus  fol- 
low. It  is  a  great  price  that  Germany  is  prepared 
to  pay." 

Monsieur  Douaille  was  silent  for  several  moments. 
It  was  obvious  that  he  was  deeply  impressed. 

"  This  is  a  matter,"  he  said,  "  which  must  be  con- 
sidered from  many  points  of  view.  Supposing 
that  France  were  willing  to  bury  the  hatchet  with 
Germany,  to  remain  neutral  or  to  place  Calais  at 
Germany's  disposal.  Even  then,  do  you  suppose, 
Herr  Selingman,  that  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to 
destroy  the  British  Navy?" 

"  We  have  our  plans,"    Selingman   declared  sol- 


350        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

emnly.  "  We  know  very  well  that  they  can  be  car- 
ried out  only  at  a  great  loss  both  of  men  and  ships. 
It  is  a  gloomy  and  terrible  task  that  lies  before  us, 
but  at  the  other  end  of  it  is  the  glory  that  never 
fades." 

"  If  America,"  Douaille  remarked,  "  were  to  have 
an  inkling  of  your  real  objective,  her  own  fleet  would 
come  to  the  rescue." 

"  Why  should  America  know  of  our  ultimate 
aims?"  Selingman  rejoined.  "Her  politicians  to- 
day choose  to  play  the  part  of  the  ostrich  in  the  des- 
ert. They  take  no  account,  or  profess  to  take  no 
account  of  European  happenings.  They  have  no 
Secret  Service.  Their  country  is  governed  from 
within  for  herself  only.  As  for  the  rest,  the  bogey 
of  a  German  invasion  has  been  flaunted  so  long  in 
England  that  few  people  stop  to  realise  the  absolute 
futility  of  such  a  course.  London  is  already  col- 
onised by  Germans  —  colonised,  that  is  to  say,  in 
urban  and  money-making  fashion.  English  gold  is 
flowing  in  a  never-ending  stream  into  our  country. 
It  would  be  the  most  foolish  dream  an  ambitious 
statesman  could  conceive  to  lay  violent  hands  upon 
a  land  teeming  with  one's  own  children.  Germany 
sees  further  than  this.  There  are  richer  prizes 
across  the  Atlantic,  richer  prizes  from  every  point 
of  view." 

"  You  mentioned  South  Africa,"  Monsieur  Dou- 
aille murmured. 

Selingman  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  South  Africa  will  make  no  nation  rich,"  he  re- 
plied. "  Her  own  people  are  too  stubborn  and  pow- 
erful, too  rooted  to  the  soil." 


A  NEW  MAP  OF  THE  EARTH         351 

Monsieur  Douaille  for  the  first  time  stretched  out 
bis  hand  and  drank  some  of  the  wine  which  stood  by 
his  side.  His  cheeks  were  very  pale.  He  had  the 
appearance  of  a  man  tortured  by  conflicting 
thoughts. 

"  I  should  like  to  ask  you,  Selingman,"  he  said, 
"  whether  you  have  made  any  definite  plans  for  your 
conflict  with  the  British  Navy?  I  admit  that  the 
days  of  England's  unique  greatness  are  over.  She 
may  not  be  in  a  position  to-day,  as  she  has  been  in 
former  years,  to  fight  the  world.  At  the  same  time, 
her  one  indomitable  power  is  still,  whatever  people 
may  say  or  think,  her  navy.  Only  last  month  the 
Cabinet  of  my  country  were  considering  reports  from 
their  secret  agents  and  placing  them  side  by  side 
with  known  facts,  as  to  the  relative  strength  of  your 
navy  and  the  navy  of  Great  Britain.  On  paper  it 
would  seem  that  a  German  success  was  impossible." 

Selingman  smiled  —  the  convincing  smile  of  a  man 
who  sees  further  than  most  men. 

"  Not  under  the  terms  I  should  propose  to  you, 
Monsieur  Douaille,"  he  declared.  "  Remember  that 
we  should  hold  Calais,  and  we  should  be  assured  at 
least  of  the  amiable  neutrah'ty  of  your  fleet.  We 
have  spoken  of  matters  so  intimate  that  I  do  not 
know  whether  in  this  absolute  privacy  I  should  not 
be  justified  in  going  further  and  disclosing  to  you 
our  whole  scheme  for  an  attack  upon  the  English 
Navy.  It  would  need  only  an  expression  of  your 
sympathy  with  those  views  which  we  have  discussed, 
to  induce  me  to  do  so." 

Monsieur  Douaille  hesitated  for  several  moments 
before  he  replied. 


352        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

**  I  am  a  citizen  of  France,"  he  said,  "  an  envoy 
without  powers  to  treat.  My  own  province  is  to 
listen." 

"  But  your  personal  sympathies  ?  "  Selingman  per- 
sisted. 

"  I  have  sometimes  thought,"  Monsieur  Douaille 
confessed,  "  that  the  present  grouping  of  European 
Powers  must  gradually  change.  If  your  country,  for 
instance,"  he  added,  turning  to  Mr.  Grex,  "  indeed 
embraces  the  proposals  of  Herr  Selingman,  France 
must  of  necessity  be  driven  to  reconsider  her  position 
towards  England.  The  Anglo-Saxon  race  may  have 
to  battle  then  for  her  very  existence.  Yet  it  is  al- 
ways to  be  remembered  that  in  the  background  are 
the  United  States  of  America,  possessing  resources 
and  wealth  greater  than  any  other  country  in  the 
universe." 

"  And  it  must  also  be  remembered,"  Selingman 
proclaimed,  in  a  tone  of  ponderous  conviction,  "  that 
she  possesses  no  adequate  means  of  guarding  them, 
that  she  is  not  a  military  nation,  that  she  has  not 
the  strength  to  enforce  the  carrying  out  of  the  Mon- 
roe Doctrine.  Things  were  all  very  well  for  her 
before  the  days  of  wireless  telegraphy,  of  aeroplanes 
and  airships,  of  super-dreadnoughts,  and  cruisers 
with  the  speed  of  express  trains.  She  was  too  far 
away  to  be  concerned  in  European  turmoils.  To- 
day science  is  annihilating  distance.  America,  leav- 
ing out  of  account  altogether  her  military  impotence, 
would  need  a  fleet  three  times  her  present  strength 
to  enforce  the  Monroe  Doctrine  for  the  remainder  — 
not  of  this  century  but  of  this  decade." 

Then   the  bombshell  fell.     A  strange  voice  sud« 


A  NEW  MAP  OF  THE  EARTH        353 

denly  intervened,  a  voice  whose  American  accent 
seemed  more  marked  than  usual.  The  four  men 
turned  their  heads.  Selingman  sprang  to  his  feet. 
Mr.  Grex's  face  was  marble  in  its  whiteness.  Mon- 
sieur Douaille,  with  a  nervous  sweep  of  his  right 
arm,  sent  his  glass  crashing  to  the  floor.  They  all 
looked  in  the  same  direction,  up  to  the  little  music 
gallery.  Leaning  over  in  a  careless  attitude,  with 
his  arms  folded  upon  the  rail,  was  Richard  Lane. 

"  Say,"  he  begged,  "  can  I  take  a  hand  i»  this  lit- 
tle discussion?  " 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

CHECKMATE ! 

Of  the  four  men,  Selingman  was  the  first  to  recover 
himself. 

"Who  the  hell  are  you,  and  how  did  you  get  up 
there?  "  he  roared. 

"  I  am  Richard  Lane,"  the  young  man  explained 
affably,  "  and  there's  a  way  up  from  the  music-room. 
You  probably  didn't  notice  it.  And  there's  a  way 
down,  as  you  may  perceive,"  he  added,  pointing  to 
the  spiral  staircase.  "  I'll  join  you,  if  I  may." 

There  was  a  dead  silence  as  for  a  moment  Richard 
disappeared  and  was  seen  immediately  afterwards 
descending  the  round  staircase.  Mr.  Grex  touched 
Selingman  on  the  arm  and  whispered  in  his  ear.  Sel- 
ingman nodded.  There  were  evil  things  in  the  faces 
of  both  men  as  Lane  approached  them. 

"  Will  you  kindly  explain  your  presence  here  at 
once,  sir  ?  "  Mr.  Grex  ordered. 

"I  say!"  Richard  protested.  "A  joke's  a  joke, 
but  when  you  ask  a  man  to  explain  his  presence  on 
his  own  boat,  you're  coming  it  just  a  little  thick,  eh? 
To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  had  some  sort  of  an  idea  of 
asking  you  the  same  question." 

"What  do  you  mean  —  your  own  boat?"  Dr»- 
conmeyer  demanded. 


CHECKMATE!  355 

He  was,  perhaps,  the  first  to  realise  the  situation. 
Richard  thrust  his  hands  into  his  pockets  and  sat 
upon  the  edge  of  the  table. 

"  Seems  to  me,"  he  remarked,  "  that  you  gentle- 
men have  made  some  sort  of  a  mistake.  Where  do 
you  think  you  are,  anyway  ?  " 

"  On  board  Schwann's  yacht,  the  Christabel," 
Selingman  replied. 

Richard  shook  his  head. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,"  he  assured  them.  "This  is 
the  steam-yacht,  Minnehaha,  which  brought  me  over 
from  New  York,  and  of  which  I  am  most  assuredly 
the  owner.  Now  I  come  to  think  of  it,"  he  went  on, 
"  there  was  another  yacht  leaving  the  harbour  at  the 
same  time.  Can't  have  happened  that  you  boarded 
the  wrong  boat,  eh?  " 

Mr.  Grex  was  icily  calm,  but  there  was  menace  of 
the  most  dangerous  sort  in  his  look  and  manner. 

"  Nothing  of  that  sort  was  possible,"  he  declared, 
'*  as  you  are,  without  doubt,  perfectly  well  aware. 
It  appears  to  me  that  this  is  a  deliberate  plot.  The 
yacht  which  I  and  my  friends  thought  that  we  were 
boarding  to-night  was  the  Christabel,  which  my 
servant  had  instructions  to  hire  from  Schwann  of 
Monaco.  I  await  some  explanation  from  you,  sir, 
as  to  your  purpose  in  sending  your  pinnace  to  the 
landing-stage  of  the  Villa  Mimosa  and  deliberately 
misleading  us  as  to  our  destination  ?  " 

"Well,  I  don't  know  that  I've  got  much  to  say 
about  that,"  Richard  replied  easfly. 

"  You  are  offering  us  no  explanation  ?  "  Seling- 
man demanded. 

"  None,"  Richard  assented  coolly. 


356        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

Selingman  suddenly  struck  the  table  with  his 
clenched  fist. 

"  You  were  not  alone  up  in  that  gallery !  " 

"  Getting  warm,  aren't  you?  "  Richard  murmured. 

Selingman  turned  to  Grex. 

"  This  young  man  is  Hunterleys'  friend.  They've 
fixed  this  up  between  them.  Listen !  " 

A  door  slammed  above  their  heads.  Some  one  had 
left  the  music  gallery. 

"  Hunterleys  himself !  "  Selingman  cried. 

"  Sure !  "  Richard  assented.  "  Bright  fellow,  Se- 
lingman," he  continued  amiably.  "  I  wouldn't  try 
that  on,  if  I  were  you,"  he  added,  turning  to  Mr. 
Grex,  whose  hand  was  slowly  stealing  from  the  back 
of  his  coat.  "  That  sort  of  thing  doesn't  do,  nowa- 
days. Revolvers  belong  to  the  last  decade  of  in- 
trigue. You're  a  bit  out  of  date  with  that  little 
weapon.  Don't  be  foolish.  I  am  not  angry  with 
any  of  you.  I  am  willing  to  take  this  little  joke 
pleasantly,  but — " 

He  raised  a  whistle  to  his  lips  and  blew  it.  The 
door  at  the  further  end  of  the  saloon  was  opened 
as  though  by  magic.  A  steward  in  the  yacht's  uni- 
form appeared.  From  outside  was  visible  a  very 
formidable  line  of  sailors.  Grex,  with  a  swift  ges- 
ture, slipped  something  back  into  his  pocket,  some- 
thing which  glittered  like  silver. 

"  Serve  some  champagne,  Reynolds,"  Richard  or- 
dered the  steward  who  had  come  hurrying  in,  "  and 
bring  some  cigars." 

The  man  withdrew.  Richard  seated  himself  once 
more  upon  the  table,  clasping  one  knee. 

"  Look  here,"  he  said,  "  I'll  be  frank  with  you.     I 


CHECKMATE!  357 

came  into  this  little  affair  for  the  sake  of  a  pal.  It 
was  only  by  accident  that  I  found  my  way  up  yon- 
der—  more  to  look  after  him  than  anything.  I 
never  imagined  that  you  would  have  anything  to  say 
that  was  interesting  to  me.  Seems  I  was  wrong, 
though.  You've  got  things  very  nicely  worked  out, 
Mr.  Selingman." 

Selingman  glared  at  the  young  man  but  said  noth- 
ing. The  others,  too,  were  all  remarkably  bereft  of 
words. 

"  Don't  mind  my  staying  for  a  little  chat,  do 
you  ?  "  Richard  continued  pleasantly.  "  You  see,  I 
am  an  American  and  I  am  kind  of  interested  in  the 
latter  portion  of  what  you  had  to  say.  I  dare  say 
you're  quite  right  in  some  respects.  We  are  a  trifle 
too  commercial  and  a  trifle  too  cocksure.  You  see, 
things  have  always  gone  our  way.  All  the  same, 
we've  got  the  stuff,  you  know.  Just  consider  this. 
If  I  thought  there  was  any  real  need  for  it,  and  I 
begin  to  think  that  perhaps  there  may  be,  I  should 
be  ready  to  present  the  United  States  with  a  Dread- 
nought to-morrow,  and  I  don't  know  that  I  should 
need  to  spend  very  much  less  myself.  And,"  he  went 
on,  "  there  are  thirty  or  forty  others  who  could  and 
would  do  the  same.  Tidy  little  fleet  we  should  soon 
have,  you  see,  without  a  penny  of  taxation.  Of 
course,  I  know  we  would  need  the  men,  but  we've  a 
grand  reserve  to  draw  upon  in  the  West.  They  are 
not  bothering  about  the  navy  in  times  of  peace,  but 
they'd  stream  into  it  fast  enough  if  there  were  any 
real  need." 

The  chief  steward  appeared,  followed  by  two  or 
three  of  his  subordinates.  A  tray  of  wine  was  placed 


358        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

upon  the  table.  Bottles  were  opened,  but  no  one 
made  any  attempt  to  drink.  Richard  filled  his  own 
glass  and  motioned  the  men  to  withdraw. 

"Prefer  your  own  wine?"  he  remarked.  "Well, 
now,  that's  too  bad.  Hope  I'm  not  boring  you  ?  " 

No  one  spoke  or  moved.  Richard  settled  himself 
a  little  more  comfortably  upon  the  table. 

"  I  can't  tell  you  all,"  he  proceeded,  "  how  inter- 
ested I  have  been,  listening  up  there.  Quite  a  gift 
of  putting  things  clearly,  if  I  may  be  allowed  to  say 
so,  you  seem  to  possess,  Mr.  Selingman.  Now  here's 
my  repiy  as  one  of  the  poor  Anglo-Saxons  from  the 
West  who've  got  to  make  room  in  the  best  parts  of 
the  world  for  your  lubberly  German  colonists.  If 
you  make  a  move  in  the  game  you've  been  talking  so 
glibly  about,  if  my  word  counts  for  anything,  if  my 
persuasions  count  for  anything  —  and  I've  facts  to 
go  on,  you  know  —  you'll  have  the  American  fleet  to 
deal  with  at  the  same  time  as  the  English,  and  I  fancy 
that  will  be  a  trifle  more  than  you  can  chew  up,  eh? 
I'm  going  back  to  America  a  little  earlier  than  I  an- 
ticipated. Of  course,  they'll  laugh  at  me  at  first  in 
Washington.  They  don't  believe  much  in  these 
round-table  conferences  and  European  plots.  But 
all  the  same  I've  got  some  friends  there.  We'll  try 
and  remember  this  amiable  little  statement  of  policy 
of  yours,  Mr.  Selingman.  Nothing  like  being 
warned,  you  know." 

Mr.  Grex  rose  from  his  place. 

"  Sir,"  he  said,  "  since  we  have  been  and  are  your 
unwilling  guests,  will  you  be  so  good  as  to  arrange 
for  us  at  once  to  relieve  you  of  our  presence?  " 

"Well,  I'm  not  so  sure  about  that,"  Richard  re- 


CHECKMATE!  359 

marked,  meditatively.  "  I  think  I'd  contribute  a 
good  deal  to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  this  gen- 
eration if  I  took  you  all  out  to  sea  and  dropped  you 
overboard,  one  by  one." 

"  As  I  presume  you  have  no  such  intention,"  Mr. 
Grex  persisted,  "  I  repeat  that  we  should  be  glad  to 
be  allowed  to  land." 

Richard  abandoned  his  indolent  posture  and  stood 
facing  them. 

"  You  came  on  board,  gentlemen,  without  my  invi- 
tation," he  reminded  them.  "  You  will  leave  my  ship 
when  I  choose  —  and  that,"  he  added,  "is  not  just 
at  present." 

"  Do  you  mean  that  we  are  to  consider  ourselves 
your  prisoners  ?  "  Draconmeyer  asked,  with  an  acid 
smile. 

"  Certainly  not  —  my  guests,"  Richard  replied, 
with  a  bow.  "  I  can  assure  you  that  it  will  only  be  a 
matter  of  a  few  hours." 

Monsieur  Douaille  hammered  the  table  with  his 
fist. 

"  Young  man,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  leave  with  j  ju ! 
I  insist  upon  it  that  I  am  permitted  to  leave.  1  am 
not  a  party  to  this  conference.  I  am  merely  a  guest, 
a  listener,  here  wholly  in  my  private  capacity.  I 
will  not  be  associated  with  whatever  political  scan- 
dal may  arise  from  this  affair.  I  demand  permis- 
sion to  leave  at  once." 

"  Seems  to  me  there's  something  in  what  you  say," 
Richard  admitted.  "  Very  well,  you  can  come  along. 
I  dare  say  Hunterleys  will  be  glad  to  have  a  chat 
with  you.  As  for  the  rest  of  you,"  he  concluded,  as 
Monsieur  Douaille  rose  promptly  to  his  feet,  "  I  have 


360        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

a  little  business  to  arrange  on  land  which  I  think  I 
could  manage  better  whilst  you  are  at  sea.  I  shalJ 
therefore,  gentlemen,  wish  you  good  evening.  Pray 
consider  my  yacht  entirely  at  your  disposal.  My 
stewards  will  be  only  too  happy  to  execute  any  or- 
ders —  supper,  breakfast,  or  dinner.  You  have 
merely  to  say  the  word." 

He  turned  towards  the  door,  closely  followed  by 
Douaille,  who,  in  a  state  of  great  excitement,  re- 
fused to  listen  to  Selingman's  entreaties. 

"  No,  no! "  the  former  objected,  shaking  his  head. 
"  I  will  not  stay.  I  will  not  be  associated  with  this 
meeting.  You  are  bunglers,  all  of  you.  I  came 
only  to  listen,  on  your  solemn  assurance  of  entire 
secrecy.  We  are  spied  upon  at  the  Villa  Mimosa, 
we  are  made  fools  of  on  board  this  yacht.  No  more 
unofficial  meetings  for  me !  " 

"  Ouite  right,  old  fellow,"  Richard  declared,  as 
they  gassed  out  and  on  to  the  deck.  "  Set  of  wrong 
'uns,  those  chaps,  even  though  Mr.  Grex  is  a  Grand 
Duke.  You  know  Sir  Henry  Hunterleys,  don't 
yot  ?  " 

Hunterleys  came  forward  from  the  gangway,  at 
the  foot  of  which  the  pinnace  was  waiting. 

"  We  are  taking  Monsieur  Douaille  ashore,"  Rich- 
ard explained,  as  the  two  men  shook  hands.  "  He 
really  doesn't  belong  to  that  gang  and  he  wants  to 
cut  adrift.  You  understand  my  orders  exactly,  cap- 
tain? "  he  asked,  as  they  stepped  down  the  iron 
gangway. 

"  Perfectly,  sir,"  was  the  prompt  reply.  "  Yov 
may  rely  upon  me.  I  am  afraid  they  are  beginning 
to  make  a  noise  downstairs  already !  " 


CHECKMATE!  361 

The  little  pinnace  shot  out  a  stream  of  light  across 
the  dark,  placid  sea.  Douaille  was  talking  earnestly 
to  Hunterleys. 

"  Pleasantest  few  minutes  I  ever  spent  in  my  life," 
Richard  murmured,  as  he  took  out  his  cigarette  case. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

AN    AMAZING    ELOPEMENT 

The  sun  was  shining  brilliantly  and  the  sky  was 
cloudless  as  Richard  turned  his  automobile  into  the 
grounds  of  the  Villa  Mimosa,  soon  after  nine  o'clock 
on  the  following  morning.  The  yellow-blossomed 
trees,  slightly  stirred  by  the  west  wind,  formed  a 
golden  arch  across  the  winding  avenue.  The  air 
was  sweet,  almost  faint  with  perfume.  On  the  ter- 
race, holding  a  pair  of  field-glasses  in  her  hand  and 
gazing  intently  out  to  sea,  was  Fedora.  At  the 
sound  of  the  motor-horn  she  turned  quickly.  She 
looked  at  the  visitor  in  surprise.  A  shade  of  pink 
was  in  her  face.  Lane  brought  the  car  to  a  stand- 
still, jumped  out  and  climbed  the  steps  of  the  ter- 
race. 

"  What  has  brought  you  here  ?  "  she  asked,  in 
surprise. 

"  I  have  just  come  to  pay  you  a  little  visit,"  he 
remarked  easily.  "  I  was  only  afraid  you  mightn't 
be  up  so  early." 

She  bit  her  lip. 

"  You  have  no  right  to  come  here  at  all,"  she  said 
severely,  "  and  to  present  yourself  at  this  hour  is 
unheard  of." 

"  I  came  early  entirely  out  of  consideration  for 
your  father,"  he  assured  her. 

She  frowned. 


AN  AMAZING  ELOPEMENT  363 

*'  My  father  ?  "  she  repeated.  "  Please  explain  at 
once  what  you  mean.  My  father  is  on  that  yacht 
and  I  cannot  imagine  why  he  does  not  return." 

"  I  can  tell  you,"  he  answered,  standing  by  her 
side  and  looking  out  seawards.  "  They  are  waiting 
for  my  orders  before  they  let  him  off." 

She  turned  her  head  and  looked  at  him  incredu- 
lously. 

"  Explain  yourself,  please,"  she  insisted. 

"  With  pleasure,"  he  assented.  "  You  see,  I  just 
had  to  make  sure  of  being  allowed  to  have  a  few  min- 
utes' conversation  with  you,  free  from  any  interrup- 
tion. Somehow  or  other,"  he  added  thoughtfully, 
"  I  don't  believe  your  father  likes  me." 

"  I  do  not  think,"  she  replied  coldly,  "  that  my 
father  has  any  feelings  about  you  at  all,  except  that 
he  thinks  you  are  abominably  presumptuous." 

"  Because  I  want  to  marry  you  ?  " 

She  stamped  with  her  foot  upon  the  ground. 

"  Please  do  not  say  such  absurd  things !  Explain 
to  me  at  once  what  you  mean  by  saying  that  my 
father  is  being  kept  there  by  your  orders." 

"  I'll  try,"  Lane  answered.  "  He  boarded  that 
yacht  last  night  in  mistake.  He  thought  that  it 
was  a  hired  one,  but  it  isn't.  It's  mine.  I  found 
him  there  last  night,  entertaining  a  little  party  of  his 
friends  in  the  saloon.  They  seemed  quite  comforta- 
ble, so  I  begged  them  to  remain  on  as  my  guests  for 
a  short  time." 

"  To  remain  ?  "  she  murmured,  bewildered.  "  For 
how  long?  " 

"  Until  you've  just  read  this  through  and  thought 
it  over." 


364        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

He  passed  her  a  document  which  he  had  drawn 
from  his  pocket.  She  took  it  from  him  wonderingly. 
When  she  had  read  a  few  lines,  the  colour  came 
streaming  into  her  cheeks.  She  threw  it  to  the 
ground.  He  picked  it  up  and  replaced  it  in  his 
pocket. 

"  But  it  is  preposterous !  "  she  cried.  "  That  is  a 
marriage  license ! " 

"  That's  precisely  what  it  is,"  he  admitted.  "  I 
thought  we'd  be  married  at  Nice.  My  sister  is  wait- 
ing to  go  along  with  us.  I  said  we'd  pick  her  up  at 
the  Hotel  de  Paris." 

Severe  critics  of  her  undoubted  beauty  had  ven- 
tured at  times  to  say  that  Fedora's  face  lacked  ex- 
pression. There  was,  at  that  moment,  no  room  for 
any  such  criticism.  Amazement  struggled  with  in- 
dignation in  her  eyes.  Her  lips  were  quivering,  her 
breath  was  coming  quickly. 

"  Do  you  mean  —  have  you  given  her  or  any  one 
to  understand  that  there  was  any  likelihood  of  my 
consenting  to  such  an  absurd  scheme  ?  " 

"  I  only  told  her  what  I  hoped,"  he  said  quietly. 
"  That  is  all  I  dared  say  even  to  myself.  But  I 
want  you  to  listen  to  me." 

His  voice  had  grown  softer.  She  turned  her  head 
and  looked  at  him.  He  was  much  taller  than  she 
was,  and  in  his  grey  tweed  suit,  his  head  a  little 
thrown  back,  his  straw  hat  clasped  in  his  hands  be- 
hind him,  his  clear  grey  eyes  full  of  serious  purpose, 
he  was  certainly  not  an  unattractive  figure  to  look 
upon.  Unconsciously  she  found  herself  comparing 
him  once  more  with  the  men  of  her  world,  found  her- 
self realising,  even  against  her  will,  the  charm  of  his 


AN  AMAZING  ELOPEMENT  365 

naive  and  dogged  honesty,  his  youth,  his  tenacity  of 
purpose.  She  had  never  been  made  love  to  like  this 
before. 

"  Please  listen,"  he  begged.  "  I  am  afraid  that 
your  father  must  be  in  a  tearing  rage  by  now,  but  it 
can't  be  helped.  He  is  out  there  and  he  hasn't  got 
an  earthly  chance  of  getting  back  until  I  give  the 
word.  We've  got  plenty  of  time  to  reach  Nice  be- 
fore he  can  land.  I  just  want  you  to  realise,  Fe- 
dora, that  you  are  your  own  mistress.  You  can 
make  or  spoil  your  own  life.  No  one  else  has  any 
right  to  interfere.  Have  you  ever  seen  any  one  yet, 
back  in  your  own  country,  amongst  your  own  people, 
whom  you  really  felt  that  you  cared  for  —  who  you 
really  believed  would  be  willing  to  lay  down  his  life 
to  make  you  happy?  " 

"  No,"  she  confessed  simply,  "  I  do  not  know  that 
I  have.  Our  men  are  not  like  that." 

"  It  is  because,"  he  went  on,  "  there  is  no  one  back 
there  who  cares  as  I  do.  I  have  spent  some  years  of 
my  life  looking  —  quite  unconsciously,  but  looking 
all  the  same  —  for  some  one  like  you.  Now  I  have 
found  you  I  am  glad  I  have  waited.  There  couldn't 
be  any  one  else.  There  never  could  be,  Fedora.  I 
love  you  just  in  the  way  a  man  does  love  once  in  his 
life,  if  he's  lucky.  It's  a  queer  sort  of  feeling,  you 
know,"  he  continued,  leaning  a  little  towards  her. 
"  It  makes  me  quite  sure  that  I  could  make  you 
happy.  It  makes  me  quite  sure  that  if  you'll  give 
me  your  hand  and  trust  me,  and  leave  everything  to 
me,  you'll  have  just  the  things  in  life  that  women 
want.  Won't  you  be  brave,  Fedora?  There  are 
some  things  to  break  through,  I  know,  but  they  don't; 


366        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

amount  to  much  —  they  don't,  really.  And  I  love 
you,  you  know.  You  can't  imagine  yet  what  a  won- 
derful difference  that  makes.  You'll  find  out  and 
you'll  be  glad." 

She  stood  quite  still.  Her  eyes  were  still  fixed 
seawards,  but  she  was  looking  beyond  the  yacht,  now, 
to  the  dim  line  where  sky  and  sea  seemed  to  meet. 
The  vision  of  her  past  days  seemed  to  be  drawn  out 
before  her,  a  little  monotonous,  a  little  wearisome 
even  in  their  splendour,  more  than  a  little  empty. 
And  underneath  it  all  she  was  listening  to  the  new 
music,  and  her  heart  was  telling  her  the  truth. 

"  You  don't  need  to  make  any  plans,"  he  said 
softly.  "  Go  and  put  on  your  hat  and  something  to 
wear  motoring.  Bring  a  dressing-bag,  if  you  like. 
Flossie  is  waiting  for  us  and  she  is  rather  a  dear. 
You  can  leave  everything  else  to  me." 

She  looked  timidly  into  his  eyes.  A  new  feeling 
was  upon  her.  She  gave  him  her  hand  almost  shyly. 
Her  voice  trembled. 

"  If  I  come,"  she  whispered,  "  you  are  quite  sure 
that  you  mean  it  all?  You  are  quite  sure  that  you 
will  not  change?  " 

He  raised  her  hand  to  his  lips. 

"  Not  in  this  world,  dear,"  he  answered,  with  sub- 
lime confidence,  "  nor  any  other !  " 

She  stole  away  from  him.  He  was  left  alone  upon 
the  terrace,  alone,  but  with  the  exquisite  conviction 
of  her  return,  promised  in  that  last  half-tremulous, 
half-smiling  look  over  her  shoulder.  Then  suddenly 
life  seemed  to  come  to  him  with  a  rush,  a  new  life, 
filled  with  a  new  splendour.  He  was  almost  humbly 
conscious  of  bigger  things  than  he  had  ever  realised, 


AN  AMAZING  ELOPEMENT  367 

a  nearness  to  the  clouds,  a  wonderful,  thrilling  sense 
of  complete  and  absolute  happiness.  .  .  .  Reluc- 
tantly he  came  back  to  earth.  His  thoughts  be- 
came practical.  He  went  to  the  back  of  his  car, 
drew  out  a  rocket  on  a  stick  and  thrust  it  firmly  into 
the  lawn.  Then  he  started  his  engine  and  almost 
immediately  afterwards  she  came.  She  was  wearing 
a  white  silk  motor-coat  and  a  thick  veil.  Behind  her 
came  a  bewildered  French  maid,  carrying  wraps,  and 
a  man-servant  with  a  heavy  dressing-case.  In  si- 
lence these  things  were  stowed  away.  She  took  her 
place  in  the  car.  Lane  struck  a  match  and  stepped 
on  to  the  lawn. 

"  Don't  be  frightened,"  he  said.     "  Here  goes !  " 

A  rocket  soared  up  into  the  sky.  Then  he  seated 
himself  beside  her  and  they  glided  off. 

"That  means,"  he  explained,  "that  they'll  let 
your  father  and  the  others  off  in  two  hours.  Give 
us  plenty  of  time  to  get  to  Nice.  Have  you  —  left 
any  word  for  him?  " 

"  I  have  left  a  very  short  message,"  she  answered, 
"  to  say  that  I  was  going  to  marry  you.  He  will 
never  forgive  me,  and  I  feel  very  wicked  and  very 
ungrateful." 

"Anything  else?"  he  whispered,  leaning  a  little 
towards  her. 

She  sighed. 

**  And  very  happy,"  she  murmured. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

HONEYMOONING 

Hunterleys  saw  the  Right  Honourable  Meredith 
Simpson  and  Monsieur  Douaille  off  to  Paris  early 
that  morning.  Then  he  called  round  at  the  hospital 
to  find  that  Sidney  Roche  was  out  of  danger,  and 
went  on  to  the  villa  with  the  good  news.  On  his  way 
back  he  stayed  chatting  with  the  bank  manager  until 
rather  later  than  usual,  and  afterwards  strolled  on 
to  the  Terrace,  where  he  looked  with  some  eagerness 
towards  a  certain  point  in  the  bay.  The  Minne- 
haha  had  departed.  Mr.  Grex  and  his  friends, 
then,  had  been  set  free.  Hunterleys  returned  to  the 
hotel  thoughtfully.  At  the  entrance  he  came  across 
two  or  three  trunks  being  wheeled  out,  which  seemed^ 
to  him  somehow  familiar.  He  stopped  to  look  at 
the  initials.  They  were  his  wife's. 

"  Is  Lady  Hunterleys  leaving  to-day  ?  "  he  asked 
the  luggage-porter. 

"  By  the  evening  train,  sir,"  the  man  announced. 
"  She  would  have  caught  the  Cote  d'Azur  this  morn- 
ing but  there  was  no  place  on  the  train." 

Hunterleys  was  perplexed.  Some  time  after 
luncheon  he  enquired  for  Lady  Hunterleys  and  found 
that  she  was  not  in  the  hotel.  A  reception  clerk 
thought  that  he  had  seen  her  go  through  on  her  way 
ito  the  Sporting  Club.  Hunterleys,  after  some  mo- 


HONEYMOONING  369 

ments  of  indecision,  followed  her.  He  was  puzzled 
at  her  impending  departure,  unable  to  account  for 
it.  The  Draconmeyers,  he  knew,  proposed  to  stay 
for  another  month.  He  walked  thoughtfully  along 
the  private  way  and  climbed  the  stairs  into  the  Club. 
He  looked  for  his  wife  in  her  usual  place.  She  was 
not  there.  He  made  a  little  promenade  of  the  rooms 
and  eventually  he  found  her  amongst  the  spectators 
around  the  baccarat  table.  He  approached  her  at 
once. 

"  You  are  not  playing?  " 

She  started  at  the  sound  of  his  voice.  She  was 
dressed  very  simply  in  travelling  clothes,  and  there 
were  lines  under  her  eyes,  as  though  she  were  fa- 
tigued. 

"  No,"  she  admitted,  "  I  am  not  playing." 

"  I  understood  in  the  hotel,"  he  continued,  "  that 
you  were  leaving  to-day." 

"  I  am  going  back  to  England,"  she  announced. 
"  It  does  not  amuse  me  here  any  longer." 

He  realised  at  once  that  something  had  happened. 
A  curious  sense  of  excitement  stole  into  his  blood. 

"  If  you  are  not  playing  here,  will  you  come  and 
sit  down  for  a  few  moments?  "  he  invited.  "  I  should 
like  to  talk  to  you." 

She  followed  him  without  a  word.  He  led  the  way 
to  one  of  the  divans  in  the  roulette  room. 

"  Your  favourite  place,"  he  remarked,  "  is  occu- 
pied." 

She  nodded. 

"  I  have  given  up  playing,"  she  told  him. 

He  looked  at  her  in  some  surprise.  She  drew  a 
little  breath  and  kept  her  eyes  steadily  averted. 


370        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  You  will  probably  know  sometime  or  other,"  she 
continued,  "  so  I  will  tell  you  now.  I  have  lost  four 
thousand  pounds  to  Mr.  Draconmeyer.  I  am  going 
back  to  England  to  realise  my  own  money,  so  as  to 
be  able  to  pay  him  at  once." 

"  You  borrowed  four  thousand  pounds  from  Mr. 
Draconmeyer?  "  he  repeated  incredulously. 

"  Yes !  It  was  very  foolish,  I  know,  and  I  have 
lost  every  penny  of  it.  I  am  not  the  first  woman,  I 
suppose,  who  has  lost  her  head  at  Monte  Carlo,"  she 
added,  a  little  defiantly. 

"  Does  Mr.  Draconmeyer  know  that  you  are  leav- 
ing? "  he  asked. 

"  Not  yet,"  she  answered,  after  a  moment's  hesi- 
tation. "  I  had  an  interview  with  him  yesterday 
and  I  realised  at  once  that  the  money  must  be  paid, 
and  without  delay.  I  realised,  too,  that  it  was  bet- 
ter I  should  leave  Monte  Carlo  and  break  off  my  asso- 
ciation with  these  people  for  the  present." 

In  a  sense  it  was  a  sordid  story,  yet  to  Hunterleys 
her  words  sounded  like  music. 

"  I  am  very  pleased  indeed,"  he  said  quietly,  "  that 
you  feel  like  that.  Draconmeyer  is  not  a  man  to 
whom  I  should  like  my  wife  to  owe  money  for  a  mo- 
ment longer  than  was  absolutely  necessary." 

"  Your  estimate  of  him  was  correct,"  she  con- 
fessed slowly.  "  I  am  sorry,  Henry." 

He  rose  suddenly  to  his  feet.  An  inspiration  had 
seized  him. 

"  Come,"  he  declared,  "  we  will  pay  Draconmeyer 
back  without  sending  you  home  to  sell  your  securi- 
ties. Come  and  stand  with  me." 

She  looked  at  him  in  amazement. 


HONEYMOONING  371 

"  Henry ! "  she  exclaimed.  "  You  are  not  going 
to  play  ?  Don't !  Take  my  advice  and  don't !  " 

He  laughed. 

"  We'll  see,"  he  replied  confidently.  "  You 
wouldn't  believe  that  I  was  a  fatalist,  would  you?  I 
am,  though.  Everything  that  I  had  hoped  for  seems 
to  be  happening  to-day.  You  have  found  out  Dra- 
conmeyer,  we  have  checkmated  Mr.  Grex,  I  have 
drunk  the  health  of  Felicia  and  David  Briston — " 

"  Felicia  and  David  Briston  ?  "  she  interrupted 
quickly.  "  What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  You  knew,  of  course,  that  they  weve  engaged  ?  " 
he  explained.  "  I  called  round  at  the  villa  this  morn- 
ing, after  I  had  been  to  the  hospital,  and  found  them 
busy  fixing  the  wedding  day." 

She  looked  at  him  vaguely. 

"Engaged?"  she  murmured.  "Why,  I 
thought  — " 

A  spot  of  colour  suddenly  burned  in  her  cheeks. 
She  was  beginning  to  understand.  It  was  Dracon- 
meyer  who  had  put  those  ideas  into  her  head.  Her 
heart  gave  a  little  leap. 

"  Henry !  "  she  whispered. 

He  was  already  at  the  table,  however.  He 
changed  five  mille  notes  deliberately,  counted  his 
plaques  and  turned  to  her. 

"  I  am  going  to  play  on  your  principle,"  he  de- 
clared. "  I  have  always  thought  it  an  interesting 
one.  See,  the  last  number  was  twenty-two.  I  am 
going  to  back  twenty  and  all  the  carres" 

He  covered  the  board  around  number  twenty. 
There  were  a  few  minutes  of  suspense,  then  the  click 
as  the  ball  fell  into  the  little  space. 


372        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Vingt-huit,  noir,  passe  et  pair!  "  the  croupier 
announced. 

Hunterleys*  stake  was  swept  away.  He  only 
smiled. 

"  Our  numbers  are  going  to  turn  up,"  he  insisted 
cheerfully.  "  I  am  certain  of  it  now.  Do  you  know 
that  this  is  the  first  time  I  have  played  since  I  have 
been  in  Monte  Carlo?  " 

She  watched  him  half  in  fear.  This  time  he  staked 
on  twenty-nine,  with  the  maximum  en  plein  and  all 
the  carres  and  chevaux.  Again  the  few  moments 
of  suspense,  the  click  of  the  ball,  the  croupier's  voice. 

"  Vingt-neuf,  noir,  impair  et  passe!  " 

She  clutched  at  his  arm. 

"  Henry !  "  she  gasped. 

He  laughed. 

"  Open  your  bag,"  he  directed.  "  We'll  soon  fill 
it." 

He  left  his  stake  untouched.  Thirty-one  turned 
up.  He  won  two  carres  and  let  the  table  go  once 
without  staking.  Ten  was  the  next  number.  Im- 
mediately he  placed  the  maximum  on  number  four- 
teen, carres  and  chevaux.  Again  the  pause,  again 
the  croupier's  voice. 

"  Quatorze  rouge,  pair  et  manque!  ** 

Hunterleys  showed  no  exultation  and  scarcely  any 
surprise.  He  gathered  in  his  winnings  and  repeated 
his  stake.  This  time  he  won  one  of  his  carres.  The 
next  time  quatorze  turned  up  again.  For  half-an- 
hour  he  continued,  following  his  few  chosen  numbers 
according  to  the  run  of  the  table.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  Violet's  satchel  was  full  and  he  was  begin- 
ning to  collect  mille  notes  for  his  plaques.  He  made 


HONEYMOONING  373 

a  little  calculation  in  his  mind  and  decided  that  he* 
must  already  have  won  more  than  the  necessary 
amount. 

"  Our  last  stake,"  he  remarked  coolly. 

The  preceding  number  had  been  twenty-six.  He 
placed  the  maximum  on  twenty-nine,  the  carres, 
chevaux,  the  column,  colour  and  last  dozen.  He  felt 
Violet's  fingers  clutching  his  arm.  There  was  a  lit- 
tle buzz  of  excitement  all  round  the  table  as  the 
croupier  announced  the  number. 

"  Vingt-neuf  noir,  impair  et  passe!  "... 

They  took  their  winnings  into  the  anteroom  be- 
yond, where  Hunterleys  ordered  tea.  There  was  a 
little  flush  in  Violet's  cheeks.  They  counted  the 
money.  There  was  nearly  five  thousand  pounds. 

"Henry!"  she  exclaimed.  "I  think  that  that 
last  coup  was  the  most  marvellous  win  I  ever  saw ! " 

"  A  most  opportune  one,  at  any  rate,"  he  replied 
grimly.  "  Look  who  is  coming." 

Draconmeyer  had  entered  the  room,  and  was  peer- 
ing everywhere  as  though  in  search  of  some  one.  He 
suddenly  caught  sight  of  them,  hesitated  for  a  mo- 
ment and  then  approached.  He  addressed  himself 
to  Violet. 

"  I  have  just  seen  Linda,"  he  said.  "  She  is  bro- 
ken-hearted at  the  thought  of  your  departure." 

"  I  am  sorry  to  leave  her,"  Violet  replied,  "  but  I 
feel  that  I  have  stayed  quite  long  enough  in  Monte 
Carlo.  By  the  bye,  Mr.  Draconmeyer,  there  is  that 
little  affair  of  the  money  you  were  kind  enough  to 
advance  to  me." 

Draconmeyer  stood  quite  still.  He  looked  from 
husband  to  wife. 


374        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

"  Four  thousand  pounds,  my  wife  tells  me,"  Hun- 
terleys  remarked  coolly,  as  he  began  to  count  out  the 
notes.  **  It  is  very  good  of  you  indeed  to  have 
acted  as  my  wife's  banker.  Do  you  mind  being  paid 
now?  Our  movements  are  a  little  uncertain  and  it 
will  save  the  trouble  of  sending  you  a  cheque." 

Draconmeyer  laughed.  It  was  not  a  pleasant 
laugh,  nor  was  it  in  the  least  mirthful. 

"  Dear  me !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  I  had  forgotten 
that  little  matter.  As  you  will,  certainly." 

He  accepted  the  notes  and  stuffed  them  into  his 
pocket. 

"By  the  bye,"  he  continued,  "I  think  that  I 
ought  to  congratulate  you,  Sir  Henry.  That  last 
little  affair  of  yours  was  wonderfully  stage-managed. 
Your  country  owes  you  more  than  it  is  ever  likely  to 
pay.  You  have  succeeded,  at  any  rate,  in  delaying 
the  inevitable." 

"  I  trust,"  Hunterleys  enquired  politely,  "  that 
you  were  not  detained  upon  the  yacht  for  very  long?  " 

"  We  landed  at  the  Villa  at  twelve  o'clock  this 
morning,"  Draconmeyer  replied.  "  You  know,  of 
course,  of  the  little  surprise  our  young  American 
friend  had  prepared  for  Mr.  Grex?  " 

Hunterleys  shook  his  head. 

"  I  have  heard  nothing  definite." 

"  He  was  married  to  the  daughter  of  the  Grand 
Duke  Augustus  at  midday  at  Nice,"  Draconmeyer 
announced.  "  His  Serene  Highness  received  a  tele- 
phone message  only  a  short  time  ago." 

Violet  gave  a  little  cry.  She  leaned  across  the  ta- 
ble eagerly. 

"  You  mean  that  they  have  eloped?  " 


HONEYMOONING  375 

Draconmeyer  assented. 

'*  All  Monte  Carlo  will  be  talking  about  it  to-mor- 
row," he  declared.  "  The  Grand  Duke  has  been  do- 
ing all  he  can  to  get  it  hushed  up,  but  it  is  useless. 
I  will  not  detain  you  any  longer.  I  see  that  you  are 
about  to  have  tea." 

"  We  shall  meet,  perhaps,  in  London  ?  "  Hunter- 
leys  remarked,  as  Draconmeyer  prepared  to  depart; 

Draconmeyer  shook  his  head. 

"  I  think  not,"  he  replied.  "  The  doctors  have 
advised  me  that  the  climate  of  England  is  bad  for  my 
wife's  health,  and  I  feel  that  my  own  work  there  is 
finished.  I  have  received  an  offer  to  go  out  to  South 
America  for  a  time.  Very  likely  I  shall  accept." 

He  passed  on  with  a  final  bow.  Violet  looked 
across  their  table  and  her  eyes  shone. 

"  It  seems  like  a  fairy  tale,  Henry,"  she  whispered, 
"  You  don't  know  what  a  load  on  my  mind  that 
money  has  been,  and  how  I  was  growing  to  detest  Mr, 
Draconmeyer." 

He  smiled. 

"  I  was  rather  hating  the  beast  myself,"  he  ad- 
mitted. "  Tell  me,  what  are  your  plans,  really  ?  " 

"  I  hadn't  made  any,"  she  confessed,  "  except  to 
get  away  as  quickly  as  I  could." 

He  leaned  a  little  across  the  table. 

"  Elopements  are  rather  in  the  fashion,"  he  said. 
"What  do  you  think?  Couldn't  we  have  a  little 
dinner  at  Giro's  and  catch  the  last  train  to  Nice; 
have  a  look  at  Richard  and  his  wife  and  then  go  on 
to  Cannes,  and  make  our  way  back  to  England 
later?  " 

She  looked  at  him  and  his   face  grew  younger. 


376        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

There  was  something  in  her  eyes  which  reminded  him 
of  the  days  which  for  so  many  weary  months  he  had 
been  striving  to  forget. 

"  Henry,"  she  murmured,  "  I  have  been  very  fool- 
ish. If  you  can  trust  me  once  more,  I  think  I  can 
promise  that  I'll  never  be  half  so  idiotic  again." 

He  rose  to  his  feet  blithely. 

"It  has  been  my  fault  just  as  much,"  he  de- 
clared, "  and  the  fault  of  circumstances.  I  couldn't 
tell  you  the  whole  truth,  but  there  has  been  a  villain- 
ous conspiracy  going  on  here.  Draconmeyer,  Se- 
lingman,  and  the  Grand  Duke  were  all  in  it  and  I  have 
been  working  like  a  slave.  Now  it's  all  over,  fin- 
ished this  morning  on  Richard's  yacht.  We've  done 
what  we  could.  I'm  a  free  lance  now  and  we'll  spend 
the  holidays  together." 

She  gave  him  her  fingers  across  the  table  and  he 
held  them  firmly  in  his.  Then  she,  too,  rose  and  they 
passed  out  together.  There  was  a  wonderful  change 
in  Hunterleys.  He  seemed  to  have  grown  years 
younger. 

"  Come,"  he  exclaimed,  "  they  call  this  the  City  of 
Pleasure,  but  these  are  the  first  happy  moments  I 
have  spent  in  it.  We'll  gamble  in  five-franc  pieces 
for  an  hour  or  so.  Then  we'll  go  back  to  the  hotel 
and  have  our  trunks  sent  down  to  the  station,  dine 
at  Giro's  and  wire  Richard.  Where  are  you  going 
to  stake  your  money  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  shall  begin  with  number  twenty-nine," 
she  laughed. 

They  lunched  with  Richard  and  his  wife,  a  few  days 
later,  at  the  Casino  at  Cannes.  The  change  in  the 


HONEYMOONING  377 

two  young  people  was  most  impressive,  Fedora  had 
lost  the  dignified  aloofness  of  Monte  Carlo.  She 
seemed  as  though  she  had  found  her  girlhood.  She 
was  brilliantly,  supremely  happy.  Richard,  on  the 
other  hand,  was  more  serious.  He  took  Hunterleys 
on  one  side  as  they  waited  for  the  cars. 

"  We  are  on  our  way  to  Biarritz,"  he  said,  "  by 
easy  stages.  The  yacht  will  meet  us  there  and  we 
are  going  to  sail  at  once  for  America." 

"  Fedora  doesn't  mind?  "  Hunterleys  asked. 

"  Not  in  the  least,"  Richard  declared  exultantly. 
"  She  knows  what  my  duty  is,  and,  Hunterleys,  I 
am  going  to  try  and  do  it.  The  people  over  there 
may  need  a  lot  of  convincing,  but  they  are  going  to 
hear  the  truth  from  me  and  have  it  drummed  into 
them.  It's  going  to  be  '  Wake  up,  America ! '  as  well 
as  '  Wake  up,  England ! '  " 

"  Stick  at  it,  Richard,"  Hunterleys  advised. 
"  Don't  mind  a  little  discouragement.  Men  who  see 
the  truth  and  aren't  afraid  to  keep  on  calling  atten- 
tion to  it,  get  laughed  at  a  great  deal.  People  speak 
of  them  tolerantly,  listen  to  what  they  say,  doubt  its 
reasonableness  and  put  it  at  the  back  of  their  heads, 
but  in  the  end  it  does  good.  Your  people  and  mine 
are  slow  to  believe  and  slow  to  understand,  but  the 
truth  sinks  in  if  one  proclaims  it  often  enough  and 
loudly  enough.  We  are  going  through  it  in  our  own 
country  just  now,  with  regard  to  National  Service, 
for  one  thing.  Plere  come  your  cars.  You  travel 
in  state,  Richard." 

The  young  man  laughed  good-naturedly. 

"  There's  nothing  in  life  which  I  could  give  her 
that  Fedora  sha'n't  have,"  he  asserted.  '*  We  spent 


378        MR.  GREX  OF  MONTE  CARLO 

the  first  two  days  absolutely  alone.  Now  her  maid 
and  my  man  come  along  with  the  luggage  in  the  heavy 
car,  and  we  take  the  little  racer.  Jolly  hard  work 
they  have  to  keep  anywhere  near  us,  I  can  tell  you. 
Say,  may  I  make  a  rather  impertinent  remark,  Sir 
Henry?" 

"  You  have  earned  the  right  to  say  anything  to 
me  you  choose,"  Hunterleys  replied.  "  Go  ahead." 

"  Why,  it's  only  this,"  Richard  continued,  a  little 
awkwardly.  "  I  have  never  seen  Lady  Hunterleys 
look  half  so  ripping,  and  you  seem  years  younger." 

Hunterleys  smiled. 

"  To  tell  you  the  truth,  I  feel  it.  You  see,  years 
ago,  when  we  started  out  for  our  honeymoon,  there 
was  a  crisis  after  the  first  week  and  we  had  to  rush 
back  to  England.  We  seem  to  have  forgotten  to 
ever  finish  that  honeymoon  of  ours.  We  are  doing 
it  now." 

The  two  women  came  down  the  steps,  the  cynosure 
of  a  good  many  eyes,  the  two  most  beautiful  women 
in  the  Casino.  Richard  helped  his  wife  into  her 
place,  wrapped  her  up  and  took  the  steering  wheel. 

"  Hyeres  to-night  and  Marseilles  to-morrow,"  he 
announced,  "  Biarritz  on  Saturday.  We  shall  stay 
there  for  a  week,  and  then  — '  Wake  up,  America ! ' : 

The  cars  glided  off.  Hunterleys  and  his  wife  stood 
on  the  steps,  waving  their  hands. 

"  Something  about  those  children,"  Hunterleys 
declared,  as  they  vanished,  "  makes  me  feel  absurdly 
young.  Let's  go  shopping,  Violet.  I  want  to  buy 
you  some  flowers  and  chocolates." 

She  smiled  happily  as  she  took  his  arm  for  a  mo- 
ment. 


HONEYMOONING  379 

"And  then?" 

"  What  would  you  like  to  do  afterwards  ?  "  he 
asked. 

"  I  think,"  she  replied,  leaning  towards  him,  "  that 
I  should  like  to  go  to  that  nice  Englishman  who  lets 
fillas,  and  find  one  right  at  the  edge  of  the  sea,  quite 
hidden,  and  lock  the  gates,  and  give  no  one  our  ad- 
dress, and  have  you  forget  for  just  one  month  that 
there  was  any  work  to  do  in  the  world,  or  any  one 
else  in  it  except  me." 

"  Just  to  make  up,"  he  laughed  softly. 

"  Women  are  like  that,  you  know,"  she  murmured. 

"  The  man's  office  is  this  way,"  Hunterleys  said 
turning  off  the  main  street. 


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